Dark Hearts
by MangaMaid4545
Summary: Light and dark have always been in an endless contention but now it seems that darkness has finally won. Ganondorf has taken over and Zelda must now save Hyrule from this lightless rule. But what can she do when the one who can help her, won't? LinkXZelda
1. Prologue

Manga Maid's Notes: Hiya! I am Manga Maid if you didn't know! So, yeah. Some of you may know me as the writer of Heart's Fate in the Yu Yu Hakusho section of fanfictions! Well, I had this story for a long time and finally posted it. So... yeah... I don't know why I haven't posted it... Probably because my editors for Heart's Fate have me work around the clock... But anywho... Well, here's the prologue thingy... ^^' Tell me if you like! Oh yeah! This is Alternate Universe!!! Sorry! ^^"

Disclaimer: Well, I think it's downright obvious that I don't own anything in Legend of Zelda. Credit goes to its respective owners. Also, the creation of Hyrule and Triforce is just reworded. I do NOT own it. So there.

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Prologue

In the beginning, there was nothing. Nothing. No trees, no people, no land, no sea… no Hyrule. Nothing, except for chaos. But then they came…and everything changed.

Din, Nayru, and Farore. They came and brought peace to the world engulfed in chaos. Din, with her strength, created the earth and cultivated the red land. Nayru gave her wisdom out to the land to give law to the earth. As for Farore, well, she used her rich soul to create the life that would uphold the law.

Once they finished, they left the world to watch from afar. As they left, the remnants of each one's power transformed into a sacred triangle, a piece of the Sacred Triforce. The Triforce is an ancient relic that holds the balance of Hyrule and resides in the place that Din, Nayru, and Farore reside.

That place is the Sacred Realm. That is the one place one should never go unless bestowed with one of the three parts of the Triforce. The Sacred Realm is the ultimate dwelling, the one place where nothing but the Triforce, Light, and the Great Three exist. From there, Light pours out upon the ancient land of Hyrule and from there, balance is maintained. But balance can be a funny thing.

To maintain balance, where there is Light, there must be Shadow. And from the outpouring of Light, Shadow was created to maintain the balance. It grew in the darkest corner in the heart of man. And there it flourished.

Shadow became envious of Light. Light was loved by all, while Shadow, growing in man's hearts, was unnoticed. And in a moment of pure anger and fury, Shadow sprung forth from man and began to contend with Light.

For many days, Light and Shadow contended with each other, throwing the peace that had been created into turmoil. Man became fearful and hid from the battle. But when the Great Three saw what was going on, they returned.

They stopped the two and once realizing what was going on, a compromise was made. This compromise is known now as Day and Night. When the compromise was made, both Light and Shadow were content and everything became peaceful once more. Man returned once again from his hiding places. Years passed and everything was peaceful.

But that peace would not last for long. Shadow quickly became power-hungry and corrupt. It sought to rule the land. It hid itself back in the people of Hyrule and created the emotion of Pride. Pride gave birth to the emotions of Sorrow, Anguish, Envy, Anger, and Shadow's most powerful ally, Hate. In hate, Shadow found everything it needed to survive. And there, it grew strong and changed to something much more sinister. Darkness.

Darkness, when it was strong enough, began to corrupt the hearts of some of the people. It did not set apart any race. It corrupted anyone, be they Gerudo, Human, Hylian, Kokiri, Deku, Fairy, Goron, Sheikah, or Zora. Darkness consumed them and brought them into more darkness.

Darkness used these people and soon Hyrule was engulfed in war. Kings were made and alliances formed. War raged for many years, until finally one of the chosen race, a Hylian King, listened to the Light and rose victorious from the battle and led the country to a time of peace and prosperity.

Darkness, now that it had lost, hid itself in a boy who had long craved the pleasant lands for his people and wanted to make the people of Hyrule suffer as badly as his people had. A Gerudo King, though he had only been ten, who had been defeated by the much older Hylian King and driven back to the land of the Gerudos. A desert land where they were tormented by scorching days and freezing nights. The Gerudo King nurtured the wound in his heart and there Darkness settled. It festered and tore at the Gerudo King.

Darkness spoke whispers to the boy. How could _he,_ a chosen king, lose? That was not possible. There had to be a way to remove that oaf of a king off the throne. There just had to. After all, he had to find a place that was better for his people and make the people of Hyrule understand the Gerudos' pain.

For another ten years, Darkness spoke to the boy as he grew into a man. Then, one day, he came up with a perfect plan. He had heard rumors of the Triforce, and he saw it as power for the taking. He left his homeland and ventured on to the ancient Temple of Time, the only way for one to get into the Sacred Realm.

Gerudo are master thieves and this king was no different. By the time he had reached the Temple of Time, he had stolen the three jewels and the Ocarina of Time to enter. When he entered the Sacred Realm, he found what he had been looking for. The Triforce. However, when he touched it, the Triforce reacted to what was in his heart.

It shattered, feeling the craving for power. Din's sacred triangle, which had become the Triforce of Power, entered the Gerudo King while the other two fled. It left a mark on his dominant hand that only one with a Triforce possesses. The new power the king felt made him joyful and he laughed, maddened by the power.

But he knew he could not just attack Hyrule. After all, his people were still tired from the previous war. No, he would wait a little while. Let that buffoon be in peace for a few years, then attack. Yes. That was the perfect thing to do. He headed for home, ready to rally his people for the war that would come.

The Triforces that had fled left the Sacred Realm and searched for people that fit their needs. Nayru's sacred triangle, the Triforce of Wisdom did not search for long. It found in Hyrule Castle, a baby girl. The princess of Hyrule. She was a newborn, granted, but it could sense that she would be the wisest of the wise. It gently landed on the girl, blessing her with wisdom beyond her years.

Whilst the babe was with her mother and elder brother, the mother noticed the mark on her hand and realized what it meant. She called her most trusted guard, a Sheikah woman, and had her take the baby princess, along with the Sheikah's baby son, off to a village far away to protect the princess. The woman did as she was told and took the babes far away from the Castle.

Meanwhile, Farore's sacred triangle, the Triforce of Courage, searched long for a person worthy of being its bearer. When it was on the outskirts of Hyrule, it found a young boy in a small village. This young boy was barely over a year older than the baby princess, but as the Triforce of Wisdom had done, the Triforce of Courage felt that this boy would be one of the most courageous souls to touch Hyrule. It fell on the boy, marking him as the Bearer of Courage.

As luck would have it, the baby princess was taken to the village where the young boy lived. Both grew together and became best of friends. For 14 years they grew together, playing with each other. They had become quite close and couldn't even think about life without each other.

But one day, while the boy had to work in the fields as all 15 year olds in the village must, the 14-year-old princess, Zelda, who had never known of her birth right, was taken back to the castle by the guard, Impa, and her son, Sheik, to the castle. When the boy, Link, came back to find his best friend missing, he was heartbroken. His sister, Aryll, tried to cheer him up, but to no avail. He was miserable and missed Zelda dearly.

When Zelda reached the castle, she, Impa, and Sheik were caught off guard by the Gerudo King, Ganondorf, and his men. Although Impa and Sheik fought well, they were all captured and Ganondorf sent them to a prison camp. When news had been sent out that the princess, that last member of the royal family who hadn't been captured, had been captured, almost all the hope and willingness to fight died in her people. And so Darkness has won and now reigns a world with no happiness, no laughter, no love, and above of all, no light.

Now, our story begins 4 years after Zelda was captured, in the prison camp where she's been for so long in that lightless world.

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Ending comments: Review please! They make me happy! Also, I don't write very much without reviews.


	2. Chapter 1

MangaMaid's Notes: Hey everyone. This took an annoyingly long time because I knew where I wanted to go, but I was having a hard time getting there. Plus I went to Texas and had a lot of other junk happen in my life... So yeah... Thank you for all your reviews! They made me very happy!! And now I give you, Chapter 1!!

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Zelda felt her sweat stain her dull, dingy, and torn rags of clothes she wore as she sat with the other women that had been captured in the prison camp. They were just finishing cleaning up the floor in one of the many houses in Castle Town that had been given to a Gerudo. It was hard work and they had to make sure it was spotless. If it wasn't, they would all get a beating.

Zelda watched as their Gerudo guards circled the women, watching. She knew what they were waiting for. They were waiting for one of the women to slip up. Then, they could whip or beat the poor young woman who had made one little mistake and show to the other prisoners what would happen to anyone who dared to do the same thing.

She felt sweat pour down her face. She didn't dare stop her work, knowing that if she did, she'd be beaten for it. She continued wiping her rag in the same circular motion as she felt her hands, dry, red, and cracked from the harsh soaps and waxes they used on the floor, aching. She ignored the pain and continued on her work.

She watched as some of the women working with her tried not to let their tears fall. She bit her lip and ignored it. She had to get to work or else suffer the punishment.

Suddenly, one of the other prisoners, another Hylian girl, a dirty blonde, and a little younger than Zelda, burst into sobs. Tears fell from the girl's eyes and she couldn't stop sobbing. She tried to mop up her tears, but they were falling too fast.

Then, the Gerudo guards came out of nowhere. They stared harshly at the woman. One spoke in a simpering tone. "What's the matter, miss? Are you sad because the work is almost done?"

The girl said nothing, knowing that answering a question like that would get her in trouble. The Gerudos, annoyed now, gave her a kick in the side. She fell on the floor. The girl just picked herself up and began to work again, tears now silently falling.

Zelda looked over at the girl. The girl looked up at her, her green eyes, now red from crying met Zelda's violet ones. Zelda tried to give her a weak smile, but the girl, tears still running down her face, turned away.

Zelda turned back to her work. She scrubbed diligently at the floor, though her hands screamed at her to stop. She kept glancing at the girl, but she was focusing on the floor. Zelda felt bad, but she knew better than to go and talk to the girl.

Finally, the sound of the wheels of the caravan that would take the women back to the prison camp reached Zelda's pointed ears. She shuddered as she heard the creaking coming to a halt. Then, the Gerudos began ordering everyone to put away their cleaning supplies and to get outside.

When she was outside, Zelda sighed as she saw the caravan that carried all the women prisoners was waiting for them. Two Gerudo women waited on each side of the caravan, shoving the women prisoners into the caravan. They weren't too nice about it either. They forcibly shoved each woman into the small caravan, packing them in tightly. Once it was full, there was barely any room to breathe.

Zelda sat next to a girl who she had made friends with over the past years in prison camp. The girl had long red hair and held a red flower in her hair. She looked sadly out the small window as they rode onto the prison camp. Zelda knew the girl's name to be Marin. Marin had once told Zelda her past and Zelda felt badly for her.

Marin and her father, Tarin, had lived near the sea. It was just her and her father, since her mother had passed away when she was little. Tarin's twin brother, Talon, and his three daughters, Cremia, Malon, and Romani, lived on a ranch. Marin used to visit them often, but when Ganondorf had taken over, he swept the country capturing whomever he wanted. Marin had been taken away from her father and she knew not what had happened to any of her family.

"Hello Marin," Zelda said, quietly.

"Hello Zelda," Marin replied. "How was your day?"

"Same as ever. And yours?"

"The same." Marin looked up and stared at the sky. "I wish I was a bird. I always have since I was little, but it's stronger now than before."

"You wished you were a bird?" Zelda asked.

"Uh-huh," Marin replied looking out the small window. "Seagulls can fly around and they sing to everyone around the world. I always have wanted to travel and sing. Not this way, mind you, but still… I want to give everyone happiness."

"That's a wonderful thing to give, Marin," Zelda said, looking at her.

"I know, but I can't trapped here," Marin said. She looked at Zelda, "I want to be a bird now so I can escape and sing for everybody in this dark time…" She became quiet, then turned to Zelda and asked, "Zelda? If you could escape right now, where would you go?"

Zelda sighed and looked at the floor, pondering the answer. Where would she go? Well, she had never heard of what happened to her best friend, Link, or his younger sister, Aryll, ever since Impa and Sheik had informed her she was a princess and had to go back to Hyrule Castle. She missed them dearly.

She remembered how Link would run around with her, chasing the Cuccoos and playing in the small stream in Ordon, while Aryll climbed up to the highest point she could and looked around with her telescope. She remembered how, when Link and Sheik got into the fights that all boys do, Impa would come out and pull the boys apart by the ear.

She smiled sadly, knowing that Ordon had been raided once already. Rusl, a man from Ordon who had helped Link and Aryll since they were orphaned at a young age, was now in the prison camp she resided in. He had told her that after she had left, lots of things had happened. Jaggle and Pergie had had another son, Malo, two months after Zelda had left, Colin, Beth, and Talo were growing, but sadly, Link and Aryll had kept more to themselves. And recently, his wife was expecting another child. Then, the village was raided and most of the men were captured and separated to different prison camps. As for the women and children, he didn't know.

"Zelda?" Marin's voice finally reached her, drawing her out of her thoughts. "Did you want to answer my question?"

"Oh…" Zelda said. She was quiet, and then lied, "I don't know…"

"You don't know?" Marin asked. She smiled sadly, "That's too bad. I'm sorry." She turned away, looking sad.

Zelda bit back bile. She hated lying. But, with Marin's selfless wish, wanting to go back to Ordon didn't feel like the best thing to say. The rest of the ride was silent.

When they reached the camp, Zelda walked out, let the chains be placed on her wrists and ankles, and went off to wander. The prison camp was quite boring. There was nothing to do but sit around and chat with other prison members and listen to stories.

Rusl was the best story-teller in the camp, but he and the other men were working out in fields somewhere right now. So she wandered around aimlessly, waiting for something, anything to happen so she could entertain herself for the extended time she would inevitably spend there.

She saw another friend of hers, Anju. Anju was married to a man in the camp, Kafei, and she was expecting a baby soon. The Gerudo, being a race of all women, except for the male that was born every hundred years, had felt it unfair to force a woman to work when she was expecting, so Anju was to stay in the camp all by herself all day long every day.

"Anju!" Zelda called to her friend, waving her arms.

Anju turned, her short red hair gently bouncing. She smiled and waved. "Hello Zelda," she said. "How was work?"

"It was good, I guess… They beat another girl today," Zelda said.

"That's awful!" Anju said. "What was it for this time?"

"She started crying," Zelda answered. "I felt so… so… helpless…" She looked at her feet, both cuffed in chains.

"Zelda…" Anju said, "You know what would've happened if you had done something, and being who you are, it's best to lay low in here." Anju looked to see Zelda shaking. "Zelda?"

"I hate this!!!" Zelda screamed. Tears were leaking down her face. "This isn't how Hyrule is supposed to be!! We were supposed to be at peace! I wish that I could something!! But I can't, can I?! No! Because I'm some stupid princess of a country that has now fallen to ruin and I'm supposedly their only hope!! How can I be their hope if I'm here?! How can I help my people, Anju? How? There's no hope! We have nothing… Nothing! What can we do?! What can I do?!" She looked at her feet, tears streaming down her light cheeks.

Anju didn't answer. Instead, she tilted Zelda's face up to look at hers. She looked at Zelda, straight in the eyes and spoke one word. "Hope."

"What?" Zelda asked.

"That's all we can do, Zelda. All we can do here in the prison camps right now is hope," Anju said.

"But why? I know it would be pure madness to fight, but hope? All we can do is hope? There isn't anything else? Just hope?" Zelda asked.

"That would be a better question for Rusl," Anju said, wandering off to the cooking tent. "You should ask him when he gets back. I have to go prepare meals for when the men get back. I'll see you later."

Zelda stared after her friend. What did she mean? She walked away, confused as to why she had to ask Rusl. But, she would wait and ask him.

She walked to her tent and through the flapping cloth door. The tent was a thin piece of cloth that was only supposed to protect them from the extremes. There were no beds, just scraps of cloth barely held together by sewing that served as blankets. Her tent-mates were gone, probably doing something else. She smiled as she laid herself down on her piece of hard ground.

She thought back to life in Ordon. It seemed so peaceful, back then. Wrapped up in a little world of peace and tranquility, where war hadn't ever been spoken of. She thought back to one day where she wanted to play with Link.

_8-year-old Zelda ran up a small dirt path from Ordon village, her shoulder-length blonde hair bouncing, to a house built on top of a cliff. It held a wooden ladder with a porch, a door, and a window higher up on the top of the house. Hanging above the doorway was a small little flag bearing the symbol of the Triforce._

"_Link!!! Aryll!!!" she yelled up. "Are you up there?"_

_9-year-old Link poked his head out the window. His blonde hair was messy and everywhere. He was rubbing the sleep from his blue eyes. "Zelda?" he asked. "Is that you?"_

"_Of course it's me, you dum-dum!!" Zelda yelled up at him, annoyed._

"_I'm not a dum-dum!!" Link yelled down. "What do you want anyway, Zel?"_

"_I wanted to know if you and Aryll were able to come and play or not?"_

"_Well, I can't. I have to go see Rusl. He said something about training me or something like that. Well, whatever, he said it's important. But I think Sis wouldn't mind hanging out with you." He looked around. "Hey, where's your shadow?"_

"_Sheik? Oh, Impa said something about training him to be a proper Sheikah man or something like that."_

_Link rolled his eyes and said, "He needs it. Hold on, I'm coming down."_

_Link disappeared from the window and in a few minutes he jumped from his porch, all dressed and ready to go, right in front of Zelda. Zelda took a step backward. She then noticed someone missing._

"_Hey… Where's Aryll?" Zelda asked. _

"_Oh wait… I think she's at Sera's Sundries. She's been hanging there a lot for some reason," Link said, thinking about his little sister. "She said something about buying dinner."_

"_Oh…" Zelda's face fell. "Well, I guess she's busy, and you're busy, and Sheik's busy… So, maybe I'll go help Uli… I mean her dad just passed away, so now she's all alone and I guess she needs some help. So…" She began walk away, dejected._

_Suddenly, Link grabbed her hand. "Hey," he said, "I still have some time before I have to go see Rusl. I could play with you until then, I think…."_

"_Really? Thanks Link! You're the best friend a person could have!" She threw her arms around his neck in a hug._

_Link said, "Aw, I'm not that great…"_

"_Yes, you are Link!" Zelda said, indignant. "You are!"_

_Link smiled slightly and shook his head. "So, what shall we do?"_

"_Um… Well, we went swimming yesterday, we climbed trees the day before that, uhm… you wrestled goats day before that… and… we rode Epona the day before that!"_

"_Hey! We could go to the spring! You know, have a water fight… I don't think Ordona would mind…"_

"_LINK!!" a new voice yelled._

_Link and Zelda turned to see Ilia behind them, glaring at the both of them. Her green eyes were filled with flames and her hands were on her hips, giving her the appearance of an adult who had caught children doing something naughty, though she was only a little older than Zelda herself._

"_Ilia! What are you doing here?!" Link said annoyed. Link and Ilia didn't get along very well since the day Rusl had come from Hyrule Festival bringing a little filly for Link, saying her name was Epona. Ever since then, whenever Epona was injured, Ilia would yell at Link, and of course, he hated being told off by a girl younger than him._

"_I was going to Ordona Springs! But then I heard you say that you were gonna go splash in it!! You know what my dad said about that! We're not supposed to! If… If you try to go do that, I'll lock you out of the spring!" She ran ahead of them on the path to the spring._

_Link sighed. "Come on, Zel… Let's go see if we can get there before Ilia." He ran off after Ilia, Zelda followed right behind him._

_By the time they got there, Ilia had locked the gate. She said, "There! Now you can't get in!"_

"_Oh, I'll get in!!" Link said, determined. "Just you wait!! Come on, Zelda."_

_Link led her to a small tunnel off to the side of the main path that ran through Ordon Woods that, apparently, went to the spring. When they crawled out, Link snuck up on Ilia. Then, he spooked her._

"_Boo!" he said._

_Ilia screamed. She quickly unlocked the gate and ran back to the village, crying about a ghost._

_Link and Zelda looked at each other and laughed. Finally both sat on the shore._

"_Who'd thought Ilia'd be afraid of ghosts?" Link said, looking at Zelda._

"_I know!" Zelda said, smiling and hugging her knees. "I never thought that Ilia would think there are ghosts here. Sure, you hear about the ghosts in the Faron and Kokiri Woods, but not in the Ordona Province."_

"_LINK!!!!! ZELDA!!!" Rusl's voice called. Rusl came into the spring and said, "There you both are. Link, it's time for your training. Zelda, Impa's been looking for you. She's worried sick. I suggest you go back."_

"_Aw…" Link said. "Well, I guess I'll see you Zelda."_

"_Yeah… See you, Link…" Zelda waved running back home._

Zelda smiled a bit as she remembered the fond memory. Then, a sadder one nudged its way into her mind.

_Zelda was washing laundry with Aryll, and the other village women, Pergie, Sera, and Uli by the flat bridge near Mayor Bo's house that allowed people to avoid stepping into the little brook that ran into a small lake nearby. Pergie, Sera, and Uli had all brought their children: Talo, Beth, and Colin._

_Talo was Pergie and her husband, Jaggle's 5-year-old son. He had brown hair and bright green eyes. He was very rambunctious and idolized Link since Link was very good with a sword. Recently, he had found out he would have a brother or sister soon and he was very excited about it._

_Beth was Sera and her husband Hanch's 4-year-old daughter. She had light brown hair and big blue eyes. She was quite intelligent for her age and she hung around Aryll and Zelda a lot. At the moment, she was chatting to Zelda and Aryll._

_Colin was Rusl and Uli's little 4-year-old boy. He had blonde hair and blue eyes. He was very timid and quiet, but he was very attached to Link, seeing him and Aryll as older siblings. He looked up to Link for a role model._

_Pergie, Sera, and Uli were chatting, which meant Sera was spreading the gossip of the small village around, with Talo helping his mother with her work. Aryll, Zelda, and Beth were chatting, while Colin was helping Aryll, by handing her laundry to wash._

_Colin turned to see Link walking up to the little group. "Link!!" he exclaimed, running up to his hero. Talo and Beth quickly followed, running up to him as well._

_The women turned to see Link, surrounded by the children._

"_Hello," Link said, kneeling down to look at all the little ones surrounding him. "Can I talk to Zelda?"_

_Aryll pushed her with a 'Go on!' and Zelda walked up to Link. Zelda looked up at the older boy and blushed. "Hello, Link…"_

"_Hey, Zel," he said, grinning. Her heart fluttered. "I have something to ask you," he said. "But first could we talk in private?"_

_Zelda nodded and followed Link. He led her back to Ordona Spring, where they as much younger children had played often. They sat on the bank, looking at the water._

"_So Link," Zelda said, looking at him. He was still facing the water._

"_Yeah?"_

"_What did you want to ask me?"_

"_Well, I… uh…" He blushed, looking away._

"_LIIIIIIIIIINK!!!" Fado's voice called. He came running. "There you are! I need your help."_

"_Fado!" Link said, turning to face him, surprised. "Um… Can it wait?"_

"_No! Listen, the goats are going crazy again!! I need you to calm them down!! They won't listen to me!" Fado was frantic._

_Link sighed and said, "I guess I'll ask you later Zel. Will you wait for me to come back?" He looked at her, curious._

"_Of course, Link," Zelda said. She smiled, "I'll be Ordon waiting."_

"_Really?" he said, unsure._

_She chuckled at his insecurity, knowing that he always worried about her and Aryll. "Always," she answered, smiling at him._

_Link grinned her favorite happy, carefree grin. Then, he followed Fado to go round up the goats._

_After he left, Zelda pushed herself up and walked back to Ordon. She began thinking. What could Link want to ask her?_

_Aryll ran up to her. Aryll was Link's sister, only a year younger then Zelda. She was blonde, like Link, with her long hair in two waist length pigtails. She also shared his big blue eyes and his adventurous nature. "So…" Aryll said. "What did my brother talk to you about?"_

"_Nothing yet…" Zelda said. She then smiled at Aryll. "Though, wouldn't you already know?" _

"_Maaaaaaaaaaybe!" Aryll said, grinning. It was apparent she did know what Link was going to ask Zelda._

"_Care to tell me?" Zelda asked her close friend._

"_Nope!" Aryll said, cheerily. "It's Link's business to disclose. Not mine. You'll just have to wait!"_

_Zelda sighed. She knew Aryll wouldn't say anything. She frowned. _

"_Aw, cheer up Zelda!" Aryll said, looking at her best friend's face. "Link'll be back in no time! You'll see!" She then turned, only to spin around. "Oh, your laundry's done too. So, you have the rest of the day off. I have to go get some milk for dinner, so I'll see you later Zelda!!" She darted away, grinning while her pigtails bounced._

_Zelda sighed again and walked off to find something to do. She finally settled at sitting by the river. Little did she know her mistake._

_A horse, carrying two cloaked figures, darted into the town. Suddenly, one of the figures darted off the horse, seeing Zelda, grabbed her, and threw her on the horse._

"_What are you doing?" she yelled. "Put me down! Put me down!!"_

_The horse spun around and began to run away from the village. Zelda looked for someone to help her. She saw no one. Usually Zelda would call out for Sheik or Impa to help her, but the name she screamed for wasn't either of them._

"_LINK!!!!!" she screamed. "LINK!!!!!"A hand covered her mouth. She bit down hard and screamed again. "LINK!!!!!!!!!" _

_She kept screaming until she knew she was too far away. She felt tears well up in her eyes. Then, she began to sob._

Zelda felt tears well up in her eyes again from the memory. She quickly wiped them away.

"Zelda!" a voice called. Zelda was shaken from her thoughts and sat up. She walked out of her tent and looked around to see who it was that had called her. She smiled to see Rusl, walking up towards her waving a hand.

"Rusl!" Zelda called, waving at him. Then she saw the blonde-haired red-eyed Sheikah who had been with her since she was a baby, walking beside him. "Sheik!" she called. "You guys are back!"

Sheik nodded at Zelda. His mouth slightly turned into a half-smile. "Princess Zelda," he said, bowing as he greeted her. She smiled at him. Then, he excused himself to guard her and Rusl's conversation.

After Sheik left, Rusl spoke. "Anju said that you needed to see me. May I ask why?"

Zelda looked at Rusl, and then looked down at her feet. She said, sheepishly, "I feel I can do nothing for my people… Anju told me to hope, but I don't see how that can help… She told me to ask you…" She turned to look pleadingly at Rusl. "Rusl," she said, her voice full of sadness, "I don't understand… How can hoping help anyone?"

Rusl chuckled and said, "You know, I remember when Link asked me the same question a couple of years ago."

"He did?" Zelda asked, surprised.

"Yes… And I told him this. Hope is what keeps Ganondorf from ruling the whole of Hyrule. Right now, it is a spark in the hearts of only a few of us. But, soon, that spark will be a fire. A glorious magnificent fire that will light up this path we're on and bring down the King of Darkness."

Zelda nodded. "But, we don't have the Triforce of Courage! You know as well as I that we need two Triforce bearers to bring down another. How can I do this? I don't really think that hope will help Rusl… I can't see it working. The path we're on… It's as dark as Ganondorf's heart and I can't see… I don't think I can hope anymore."

"Zelda…" Rusl said, chiding her. "You know something? We will win. Yes, we may not see the path down to the end of this nightmare, but we should- no, we _must_- hope. If you cannot hope for yourself, hope for the people. The people know something is wrong. They will stop it. If they can't, then their little ones will. They will fight the Darkness. You know this. But they cannot do it without you. They believe in you. They will fight for you, if you believe in them. If you do not believe in them, they cannot believe in you."

Zelda thought about it. Then, she nodded. "Ok, Rusl. I'll try to hope."

"Atta girl, Zelda," Rusl said, clapping her on the shoulder. "I know you can. Now, if you'll excuse me, I must go speak to some others in the camp about some important matters."

Zelda nodded. She watched Rusl walk away. She sighed and shook her head, knowing that it would be useless to ask Rusl what he was going to talk about. He never did discuss it with her saying it was "better if she didn't know".

She wandered off, her mind still filled with thoughts of her best friends and her old home. She sighed. What she would give to go home…

Loneliness ate at her insides. Then, she thought of how Link would tell her to cheer up and not to worry. She smiled to herself. Link always knew how to make her feel better. She missed him so much.

She walked around the perimeter of the camp, seeing the giant fence that trapped her and her people inside this horrible place. She looked up at the massive structure that was about 11 feet high.

It was a wire fence made of barbed wire that threatened to tear and destroy the skin of anyone who dared climb it. On the top was a red electric current that flowed around the top. It had been placed there by the Twinrova themselves. The current was to violently shock any magic users who dared try and climb the fence since they could climb the barbed wire without any damage.

Zelda shuddered as she remembered a cocky magic user who had decided he would climb the fence. His body had convulsed for several minutes, twitching and shaking uncontrollably until the current stopped. Then, he had dropped like a ragdoll to the ground. She remembered how deathly white and still he had been. Fortunately, he had lived, but everyone had learned the lesson: _Never climb the fence._

Zelda walked away from the giant reminder that she could never leave this place. She decided to look for Marin and see if Marin would tell her a story about her life near the sea. As she passed one of the clearings in the groups of tents that were used for fires, she heard Rusl speaking.

"Men, I am telling you! If you truly love Hyrule then you will help her!" he spoke passionately. Zelda wondered who he was talking about. She leaned closer, listening in.

"And why should we?" A harsher voice asked. "I've got a wife and kids waitin' for me when I get home and I'd rather be home than be killed."

Zelda heard Sheik's quiet, but deadly voice say, "So, you'd rather live under Ganondorf's rule?" Murmuring broke out as Sheik finished his question.

"N-N-No!" the voice said. "But I don't want to leave my wife and kids all alone."

"I understand," Rusl said, gently. "I have an expecting wife and a young son at home too. But we cannot allow Ganondorf's reign to keep going on!"

"But what can we do?" a younger voice asked.

Rusl sighed. "Men, I know you all know about Darkness, but let me tell you a story I've told the children of my village for many years." He began, "Darkness. Such a fickle and small thing and yet it strikes fear into the souls of many. Some of these souls are considered pansies, weak, but in all truth, they are the wise. Only they know what danger approaches as the sun falls and the moon arises from its slumber; the darkness that sleeps, waiting to strike, in the deepest, darkest corners of evil souls.

"Darkness. It seems so harmless; it is not alive on its own but lives within others as hate, anger, sorrow, anguish, envy and pride. The wise know to fear what they cannot touch, smell or hear. Only they know the horrific power of that darkness, the darkness in a truly evil soul.

"Darkness is everywhere and will consume everything dear to us unless we fight back. Keep the fire of light burning within you; the fire of hope. The forces of light and dark fight in a never ending battle. The moon and the sun have come to an agreement, up in the universe, of time when the other reigns supreme: day and night.

"However, the battle rages on below them, on the battlefield, and within us as well. Those who have already lost to the darkness are numb; their souls are gone, vanished with the light that once resided in the dark hole that now serves as their heart. If we lose to the darkness we will lose everything; we will become numb, a mere shadow of what we once were. So fight. Do not give up the light within you."

He then stopped. Everyone was quiet. Then Rusl spoke, "So fight! Fight for our beloved country, Hyrule. Fight for your loved ones…" He fell quiet, then spoke softly, "…and the ones who have already lost."

Everyone was silent. Zelda could feel the tension in the air. Then, a voice Zelda recognized, Kafei, Anju's husband, spoke, "I may not like violence and I have done everything I can to avoid it, but… if I must fight, I will fight with honor! And if I die, then, I will die serving my country. Rusl, Sheik, I will help you in this task. I feel as if I could never be a true citizen if I didn't."

"Thank you Kafei," Rusl said, his voice grateful.

Then, many other voices began agreeing. Soon, Zelda was sure all the men had agreed to the task. She furrowed her brow. What task had Rusl asked of them, she wondered. She quietly slipped away, knowing that the men would not be leased to catch her eavesdropping on their conversation.

She walked around again, wondering about what Rusl had asked the men to do or who they were talking about. She noticed that she was passing the small clearing that was designed as the kitchen area. Anju was there, stirring a pot of stew for the men of the camp.

"Zelda!!" Anju called, smiling and motioning for her to come over. Zelda walked over and Anju pointed at a chair. "Take a seat. I need some company."

Zelda took the seat, still thinking about what Rusl had said. She remembered how as a child, she had sat with Link, Aryll, Fado, Ilia, and Sheik listening to the story of Darkness he had told the men. She wondered once more if Ordon was alright.

"All right," Anju said, looking up to see Zelda staring sadly into her lap. "What's wrong?"

"Hmm?" Zelda asked, looking up again.

"You've got that faraway look on your face? Where did you go this time?" Anju asked, going back to the pot.

"Oh… I was just thinking about my home," Zelda said.

"Castle Town?" Anju asked.

"No… I didn't grow up there…" Zelda said. "In fact, I didn't even know I was a princess until a few years ago."

"Really?" Anju said, stunned. Then she asked, "Well then, where did you grow up?"

"I grew up in a small town in Ordona Province. It's called Ordon," Zelda explained.

"You grew up in Ordon? Isn't that where Rusl is from?" Anju asked.

"Yes…" Zelda said.

"That must be nice," Anju said. "He was only captured recently, so I imagine you got information about home."

"Yes, but I worry about it," Zelda said, going back to thinking about Ordon.

Anju patted her back. Instantly, pain shot through her whole body. She cringed away. Anju stopped.

"I'm sorry. Are you injured?" Anju asked.

"It's nothing…" Zelda said through gritted teeth. Anju couldn't see her back. She would not allow it.

Suddenly, Sheik appeared out of nowhere. "Anju," he said, quietly, "May I borrow Zelda for a moment?"

"Of course…" Anju said. She smiled and nodded at Zelda. Zelda got up and walked with Sheik. When they were a little ways off, Sheik stopped.

"Sheik," Zelda asked, "What did you want to talk to me about?"

"Princess Zelda," Sheik said quietly. "This is a matter of great importance. You mustn't tell anyone."

"Ok…" she said, confused. "What is it?"

Sheik took a breath and said, "We are escaping."

"What? How? When?" Zelda asked, shocked.

"Tonight."

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Ending Comments: Review please. Makes me happy. Plus, it gets you a chapter faster, since I actually have Chapter 2 almost done. ^^


	3. Chapter 2

Manga Maid's Notes: Hi everyone! Uhm... yeah. I know I meant to update soon but I have an explaination! I had this evil class called creative writing! Lesson learned: Never take it again! You learn nothing! Sorry for taking forever! ^^" Thank you to all who reviewed, story alerted, favorited, etc., etc. I will get a list up in no time! I am working on one! So on with the story!

* * *

Zelda stared, stunned, at Sheik. "Tonight?" she asked, in shock.

Sheik nodded. He said, "The other men have agreed to help us as have the women."

Zelda said, "Why haven't I heard anything about this?"

Sheik bowed his head in apology. "I am sorry Princess Zelda, but as the Gerudo seem to keep a closer eye on you, we could not inform you. It was too much of a risk. But, now, we shall escape without a chance of them realizing until it is too late."

Zelda nodded, until she realized what she had heard earlier was a meeting for her. Then she turned fearful and voiced the concerns she remembered from the man who had not wanted to join. "What about them? Their families? I can't just let them put themselves at risk for me. After all, for all they know, I could easily forget them."

Sheik stared her down. "Princess," he said, sternly. "You know, as well as I, that you would never do that. You have never forgotten a kindness done to you until you have repaid them for it."

"But, what if I'm not able to do this? What if I am recaptured? What if I fail? What will happen then Sheik?" Zelda asked, fearful. "You know as well as I do! Then all they have risked will have been for nothing. I can't let them do this. I… I… I…" Her eyes began to tear and tears suddenly rolled down her face.

Sheik pulled her into a hug. "Zelda. Zelda. Calm down. You shall do fine. You are the Princess of Hyrule. We will all make sure you escape, even at the cost of our lives."

She stepped out of the hug. "But, I don't want anyone to die for me! They are my people! What does that make me if I sacrifice several lives for my own freedom?"

Sheik looked at her. Then he said, "It makes you a princess who understands the cost of war. And that these people who are doing this are heroes of the country. Zelda, some people may die, but they will have died for a good cause. As I am sure you know, many others have died at the hand of Ganondorf for no other reason than he was simply bored. These people known that their sacrifice for a future of light, is better than the alternative: A future filled with fear, hate, and darkness. Do you understand?"

Zelda nodded, her heart tearing into pieces as she realized that there was nothing she could do. She gripped her right hand, the hand the held her Triforce of Wisdom. She said, "I doubt that when Hyrule was created, Din, Nayru, and Farore ever expected this."

"I'm sure that they didn't," Sheik agreed. "But now, you must restore the land to what it once was."

Zelda nodded and then asked, "Where are we going?"

"To Kakariko," Sheik said.

"Kakariko?" Zelda asked. "That's the base of the Rebellion. Correct me if I'm wrong Sheik, but don't you think that they will look for us there first? That's where we'll get the most supporters."

Sheik nodded. "I thought so too, but Rusl assures me he has some friends in Kakariko who can hide us while the Gerudos search for us. Plus, Kafei and Anju are coming with us and Kakariko was their home before they were captured."

Zelda was stunned. "Anju and Kafei are coming?"

Sheik nodded. "They do not want their child born in a prison camp. This may be their only chance of escape as it is ours."

Zelda stared at him. "Sheik…" she said, looking down at her feet. "I really don't think I can do this… I mean… Look at me… I never even knew of my birthrights until four years ago. All I was content to do was live my life, maybe get married to some boy in Ordon, have kids, raise a family… you know? I didn't even know where I came from and-!"

"Well, now you know," Sheik stated, cutting her off. He looked uncomfortable and very agitated about something.

"Sheik?" Zelda asked. "Is something wro-?"

"Well, perhaps you should visit Rusl before we leave," Sheik said, cutting her off again. "I am positive that he has things to warn you about the outside world." He turned away and said, "We leave at sundown. Get some rest before then." He walked away, leaving Zelda stunned.

She wasn't sure what he meant by that, but she suspected that whatever it was Rusl needed to tell her was important. She began wandering around, searching for any signs of Rusl. Eventually, she found him speaking to some of the men she had seen in the group earlier that day, as well as some women. She came to a stop nearby, not wanting to interrupt, but knowing she was tight for time. She looked at the sky nervously. The sun would be setting in a couple hours.

Rusl looked up, and upon noticing Zelda, smiled at her, and excused himself from the group. "Zelda, is something wrong?" he asked frowning with concern.

Zelda shook her head. "Rusl," she began, hesitating.

"Yes?" He could sense Zelda was about to ask him something as she was hesitating as she always did. He looked at her, his face curious.

Zelda wasn't completely sure what Sheik expected her to ask him, so she asked the first thing that came to mind on the subject. The only thing she had ever seen of Hyrule was the small village of Ordon and the little bits and pieces of Hyrule field she had seen on the way to the castle, before she had been thrown in a prison camp. "What's the outside world like?"

Rusl looked surprised. Zelda had never asked questions about the outside world. She had just only ever asked about Ordon. "Well…" he said, thinking it over carefully. "Since Ganondorf's reign, Hyrule has been in pretty horrific state. Farms that could be found anywhere have been destroyed, their supplies taken and their buildings burned. Many towns have been ruined, what with the Bublins rampaging across Hyrule and taking as they please. Waters that were once pure are now filthy, polluted by the darkness that flows around the country. Very few people believe that we will ever see light again."

Zelda nodded slightly. Rusl had already told her once that, after her capture, Hyrule had lost faith in the light. She had suspected that farms and towns had been damaged or destroyed after she had heard what happened to Ordon.

"If you were to travel in Hyrule at this time, be on your guard. Enemies to you are everywhere. I have told you about Bublins, but there are also Moblins, Deku Babas, Stalfos, Poes, and many other creatures that you could not imagine existing but do."

"Um… Rusl?" Zelda asked. "What are Poes?"

Rusl said, "Poes are terrible creatures that have lead many to their death. They are invisible except for the blue lantern they carry. If you ever have the ill fate of meeting one, be sure to escape as quickly as you can."

Zelda nodded.

Rusl continued, "As you know, the Gerudo also have a hatred of you and will not hesitate to take you to Ganondorf. There are many Gerudos guarding passageways, so it's almost impossible for one to sneak around anywhere in Hyrule…"

"So basically, everything has been decimated or torn apart by fear and Darkness," Zelda said simply.

Rusl nodded solemnly. Silence fell between the two. Rusl looked down, as if her were deciding something. "Zelda…" he said after a long pause.

"Yes?" Zelda asked. A sad, tormented look in Rusl's eye had appeared.

"There's something… I should've told you this a long time ago…" He was quiet for a few moments longer before finishing his sentence. He swallowed hard, a lump in his throat and tears threatening to spill from his eyes. "About Ordon," he finally finished.

Zelda felt her heart plummet in her chest and her worry began to rise. "What about it?" she asked quietly, almost afraid of what Rusl's answer would be.

Rusl took a deep, shuddering breath. "The day that the men and I were taken from Ordon… The day Ganondorf went to Ordon…"

Zelda's mouth went dry, horror creeping its way into her heart. She could almost tell what Rusl was going to say. "Ordon is…?" Zelda asked, unwilling to say what she was thinking.

Rusl nodded and finally the tears came down. "Yes," he said, his voice barely above a tormented whisper. "As the Gerudos were taking us away they set fire to the trees nearest to town… All the way out we could hear our wives and children crying and screaming as the fires got worse and worse… They were trapped… And Link…" He swallowed again, brushing away his tears.

"And Link _what_?" Zelda asked, not really wanting to hear what had happed to her closest friend.

"Everything and everyone… is gone…" Rusl said, his voice showing how the knowledge weighed heavy on his soul, apparently not hearing Zelda's question… or simply unwilling to say.

"Rusl," Zelda said, grabbing him by the shoulders gently. "What about Link?"

Rusl looked at Zelda's eyes steadily. "Right," he said, straightening himself. "It's time you knew…"

Zelda waited, nervous and impatient, for the rest of Rusl's story.

"Zelda," he started slowly. "Link is dead…."

Millions of pieces fell as Zelda's heart shattered. She shook her head slowly. "No…" she gasped, feeling as though she had been punched in the gut. She couldn't breathe.

Rusl spoke, his voice distant and anguished as he relived the nightmare of the day of his capture. "As we were being taken away I heard Link coming after us, he was yelling at Ganondorf, challenging him… Finally Ganondorf and the Twinrova turned around to face him. I heard Ganondorf laughing about something… But in the next moment he was absolutely outraged at something and yelled, I couldn't understand what he said… Then it was quiet…. And when he returned he… he told a Gerudo nearby… that they wouldn't have to worry about… 'that stupid boy bothering them anymore'…" He fell silent, looking at the ground.

Zelda took a step back, feeling all her hopes, dreams, her reality shatter. "No…" she said slowly. Tears fell, running down her cheeks.

"But I can't be for certain," Rusl added quickly. "Link is a strong young man and I'm sure he wouldn't have been of any real worry or concern to Ganondorf… He was too young." When Zelda didn't look convinced he interjected again. "Ordon might still be standing, everybody could be alive and well. I'm not sure what happened... In fact, I'm sure everyone's fine." Rusl sounded as if he was trying to convince himself as well as her.

Zelda tried nodding, but couldn't seem to find the ability to. All the fears she had had about saving Hyrule now seemed completely pointless as she realized that her worst nightmares had become reality. She couldn't comprehend it. Link had always been there for her when she needed him most and now… he was gone.

"I can't believe it…" she whispered quietly to herself. "No wonder he never came…"

"Zelda," Rusl said, looking up at her. "There's something else you should know… about the day Sheik and Impa carried you off to Hyrule Castle."

Zelda looked at Rusl. What did he know about that day? He hadn't been anywhere nearby.

"Impa asked me to make sure Link didn't try to come after you… And if he did, to stop him… Zelda, for _years_ Link tried to sneak out of Ordon to get you… He never gave up the hope that you were alive somewhere… But, after Ganondorf took over Hyrule, I convinced Link that he needed to stay in Ordon… for everyone else. If I hadn't stopped him that day you were whisked away to the castle, then Link may have brought you back and none of this ever would've happened…"

"It's okay, Rusl," Zelda said, looking sadly at her friend. "I'm just glad to know that Link didn't forget me… and that he tried to keep that promise to me…" Zelda wasn't sure how much more truth she could take. She nodded slightly to Rusl, "Thank you for telling me."

"I only wish I had told you sooner," he said apologetically. He looked at her ashamed.

"It's okay," Zelda repeated, tears threatening to overtake her again. She touched his shoulder, "You are a good man Rusl, and I forgive you."

"…You should get some rest," Rusl said, guiding Zelda gently towards her tent. "You have a long night ahead of you."

Zelda nodded, entering through the tent's little flap-door. "Thank you, Rusl… For everything," she said. "And I'll try," she added. "For Link…"

Rusl nodded sadly and left.

Zelda lay on the ground, exhausted and, uncontrollably, the tears came down. She curled up into a ball. The tears cascaded down her cheeks, letting years of worries, fears, and memories run away from her, before at long last, sleep lent her mercy.

...

Zelda opened her eyes to find herself lying in nice, cool grass. Goats milled around the little pasture, munching on grass as they went. Zelda's eyes flew open. She knew exactly where she was. A tickling sensation ripped through Zelda's ear. She sat up, letting out a small scream and swatting at whatever or whoever was tickling her ear. A voice laughed.

"Calm down, Zel, I was only kidding," they laughed.

Zelda's heart hammered its way into her mouth. There was no mistaking who was bent down next to her and there was definitely no mistaking where she was. She was in Ordon a few months before she had left for Castle Town and sitting right in front of her was a fifteen year-old Link.

Surprise must have shown on her face for Link laughed harder.

"You're acting as if you haven't seen me in years," Link chuckled. "But I guess that's what happens when you fall asleep in the middle of a goat field, huh?" Link stood up, dusting his pants.

Zelda had no idea what he was talking about but she was too happy to care. "Link? You're all right!" She jumped up and hugged Link around the middle tightly.

Link looked down at her, a bit surprised, but he smiled, gently squeezing her shoulders in return. He chuckled, "Of course I am. What else would I be?"

She stared at him. She touched his face, as if to remember it all, and make a map. She said, "But Rusl said you were dead… I don't understand it…"

Link looked at her confused, "O…kay?" Then, he seemed to understand. He laughed, as he held her tightly. His rumbling chest gently shook her. "You were dreaming, Zelda. You were out for a couple of hours."

Zelda blinked. Had she really been asleep all this time? Had what seemed like four years of her life really just been two hours of a strange dream? She didn't know, but she wasn't going to let go of Link to find out.

"Hey, Link!" another male voice called. "Stop lollygagging and come help Fado and I herd the goats!"

"Okay. I'm coming, Rusl!" Link shouted back across the field. He turned back to Zelda and smiled, unwrapping her arms from him. "I gotta go. Stay here, okay?" Link asked. He charged off towards Epona without waiting for an answer.

Zelda looked around in amazement. Everything was the same. Then, a thought popped into her head. "Hey, Link!" Zelda yelled across the pasture as she headed towards the gate, "I'm going to go into Ordon for a second!" Zelda crossed the fence and ran down into Ordon, however, Link didn't seem to hear her words, promising to return.

She smiled, delighted and relieved that the village hadn't been destroyed and that the villagers were still there as well. Zelda walked around the little village, enjoying the quiet and simplicity of life there anyways. The warm sun and cool breezes felt amazing on her skin. Uli, Mayor Bo and a few other Ordon villages waved her a polite hello, while Zelda waved back, happily. She had missed them a lot. A huge smile spread itself across Zelda's face, she was happy, she was home.

Suddenly, Ordon went dark. Zelda looked into the sky to see the sun blotted out and the sky turning a dangerous shade of black. However, the villagers milled around as if nothing was going on, but Zelda felt a horrible sensation run up and down her spine. She felt a sudden foreboding as she ran back to the goat pasture.

Upon arrival, Zelda found that everyone was gone, even Epona and the goats. There was only one way to and from the pasture and Zelda hadn't seen the boys coming down the little dirt path. It was almost as if they had vanished.

A sudden and abruptly cut off scream emanated from the village. Zelda turned around quickly, her heart racing, and raced back down to see what was going on. As Zelda re-entered the village she found it completely empty, devoid of the villagers that had been there seconds ago. Something shiny and sunk to the bottom of the lazy little Ordon stream caught Zelda's attention. She ran towards it to see Rusl's sword lying in the water. She whipped around, looking for signs of anyone but no one was there.

Zelda ran towards Link's tree house as the sky overhead only darker and worse. The presence of a horrible darkness reeked through the air like the stench of fetid meat on a hot summer's day, or worse… the smell of death in the prison camps. Zelda shuddered at the thought and resumed her journey to Link's small home. She left Rusl's sword in the stream, a decision she would soon regret.

However, as Zelda reached Link's house it became clear no one was home. Zelda's Hylian ears twitched as a noise caught her attention. Zelda turned and looked down the dark forest path that lay close to Link's home. She got down Link's front porch and walked to the path, the darkness felt stronger here, and so did Zelda's foreboding, but she continued forward. She followed along the forest path, the trees almost seeming to draw closer; it almost felt like thousands of eyes watched Zelda as she passed. She shivered from the chill it gave.

Suddenly, an agonized yell of pain broke the silence, it sounded like the wail of a dying soldier. Zelda broke into a run. She knew that cry. '_Link,_' she thought, her heart stopping.

She ran into Ordon Springs where the cry had emanated. Zelda's eyes flew around, looking for her friend. Zelda's heart jumped to her throat as she saw Link leaning against the grassy wall near the gate, he was cut up so much that he should have been dead by the time Zelda had gotten there. Small rings of darkness danced around him, as if threatening to steal him like it had the sunshine before.

Zelda ran to his side, horror ripping at her heart at the thought of losing him again. Glowing orange eyes appeared from the darkness that had now completely swallowed everything, except for the spring, with an evil chuckle.

"Link!" Zelda said, collapsing at her friend's side. "Link, are you okay? Say something!" Zelda pleaded. Zelda turned to the spring to get some water but after taking one look at the now tainted, filthy water she knew it was a bad idea.

"Zelda…?" Link asked quietly, his eyes seeming to look off to a world far away from where he sat.

"I'm here," Zelda said, holding him tight.

The shadows around him jumped and Link suddenly staggered to his feet, lunging towards the shadows, sword drawn, and a look of anger and protectiveness shining in his eyes. Zelda stared as she watched with horror. Link had taken one step and fell to the ground, his strength completely gone. The violent expression disappeared from his face and was replaced by a longing, a loneliness, the look of a broken heart as he caught her face. Something more was wrong than just his injuries, he needed her. Zelda started forward again, the shadows around Link disappeared into the ground beneath him.

"No…" Link said, gasping in pain. "Stay… away… Not safe…"

Zelda stopped, her heart slowly tearing itself to bits as indecision ate at her to help her dying friend or do as he said.

"Run…" Link said weakly.

"What? No way! I'm not going to leave you here! We need to get you back to-"

"Zelda… It's too late," Link whispered.

"No, you're going to be all right," Zelda said, sobbing, dropping down on her knees by Link's side.

Link shook his head. "I meant you…"

Zelda's eyes widened. What was Link talking about?

"He's here…" Link said, looking at his friend, pulling her close as he seemed to shield her body with his. It seemed that some of his strength had returned.

"What? Who?" Zelda asked severely confused.

"G-" Suddenly, the darkness that Zelda had felt so overwhelmingly burst out from the ground underneath Link, grasping, ripping and tearing at its new found prey. Link burst out into an agonized cry as the darkness ripped at his soul, tearing life away from him, slowly, painfully.

Zelda jumped to her feet, watching in horror. She reached out to help but Link yelled at her to run because "he" was there. Zelda ignored Link's warning, she thrust her hand into the darkness, trying to pull Link out as he was slowly being sucked into the darkness to a world Zelda could only visit in death. She outstretched her fingers, grasping Link's but he only tore them away.

"It'll take you too…" Link gasped, writhing in agony. From the roots up to the tips Link's hair began to dye itself darker than a pitch black night. "Don't let the darkness swallow you… Run… Leave before he captures you…" His eyes flashed yellow. They began to change again, but they shut tightly as Link let out a final agonized cry, his canines growing sharper. Then, Link was gone.

The darkness that had swallowed him, sunk into the ground. Zelda stood, watching the ground blankly.

Suddenly, the darkness erupted, hundreds of black shadows loomed from the explosion, red eyes glaring at Zelda as if she was a tasty piece of meat. Zelda swallowed hard, Link was gone and that was more painful than any wound or curse that could be inflicted, but now it was time to run.

Zelda turned and bolted. She wouldn't let Link's warning, his death, be for nothing. However, Zelda didn't get very far before one of the wolf-like shadows jumped at her, making Zelda fall to the ground. Zelda looked around terrified as an evil laughter echoed off the trees horribly.

It was the laugh of a truly evil man, a laugh from a soul completely covered in darkness. The wolves circled her slowly, their red eyes glinting maliciously, but none of them made a move towards her. Zelda stood up slowly, if the wolfs were only going to circle then there was a slight chance she could escape.

But as soon as Zelda had taken a step backwards something leaped from the shadows, a completely new enemy, grabbed her shoulder and pinned her against a forest tree behind her. Zelda's heart leaped out of her mouth as she saw who was before her, sword raised, ready to strike.

It was Link. His hair and cloths had dyed themselves darker than any night, just as they had when he was being swallowed by the darkness. He wore an expression of pure hatred, to what Zelda didn't know. However, the thing that scared Zelda the most was Link's red eyes. They showed the color of blood that had been spilled in murder, in hatred. They were cold and devoid of all emotion.

Zelda stared at the horrible creature that stood before her, that had once been her friend. Link had become one with the darkness. He had become one with Ganondorf.

Even though Link's sword was in the air poised he made no move, showed no motion to finish what he was threatening to do. Suddenly, the evil laughter returned, piercing through Zelda's heart with its heartless, soulless, evil sound. The laugh, the wolves, even the darkness itself seemed to whisper in Link's ears, egging him on to finish her off.

"Link…" Zelda said, looking at her old friend, tears streaming down her face. "I'm your friend…"

However, Link had made up his mind. His grip on Zelda's shoulder tightened. A wicked grin spread itself across his face.

Realization suddenly smacked Zelda across the face. Even though this monster before had once been her friend, it was no longer. Link's soul had vanished into the darkness. Link was no longer Link any more, there was only the monster before her.

"Link…" Zelda again, tears now cascading. "Where are you?" she practically whispered.

The dark Link before her raised his sword, the wolves pounced, and the evil laughter of the King of Darkness, Ganondorf, rang through Zelda's ears as she called Link's name one more time. As if he would hear her…

"LINK!"

...

A blonde, 19-year-old Hylian turned around quickly, looking around at the ground, then at the sky. He furrowed his brow in confusion. "What?" he asked, out loud. He, then stopped and whispered to himself, "Did someone just…?" He shook his head.

"Huh?" A human girl, around eighteen, who had been walking with him, asked. "What's wrong, Link?"

"It's nothing…" Link said, looking around. His sharp, blue eyes checking corners of the path. "I just thought I heard…"

"Heard what?" the girl asked, concerned.

"It's nothing, Ilia," Link said, turning back to her. "Don't worry about it. It's just my imagination again…"

Ilia gave him a long, searching look. "Okay…" she said uncertainly. She turned around and continued on her trip back up to Uli's house to help her make lunch for the villagers.

However, Link stood rooted to the spot. He turned around again and looked down the little village road that led to his house and frowned. "I thought I heard my name… I thought I heard… her…" He closed his eyes and whispered, "Zelda?"

...

Zelda sat up, gasping. She looked around. She was in the prison camp. She felt tears fall quickly down her face. "Oh…" she breathed. She quickly wiped at them.

She stood up and felt a sharp pain in her back. She gently touched the tender skin, trying to forget what was there as the dream filled her head again. She shook her head, trying to escape from those thoughts.

Suddenly, a sharp pain shot from her back and the dream came back with more furious force. She fell to the ground on her side. As she did, she wailed and curled up into a ball, quivering. She shook uncontrollably and she couldn't stop. She felt tears run down her face as she let out another heart-wrenching scream of agony.

"Zelda?" a voice called. It was Rusl. "Zelda! Sheik! She's over here!"

Quickly, a strong set of arms enveloped her. They were not the arms Zelda wanted and her body shook more violently, as spasms of pain shot out from her back. She let the arms hold her, though, as she shook violently.

"Zelda?" Rusl said, trying to bring her back. "Zelda. Zelda, listen to me! Is it your back?"

She gasped as another pain shot out, but she nodded.

"You are stronger than it, Zelda," Rusl said. "Fight it. You know you can."

Zelda swallowed and tried to force the pain away. She focused on the source and forced it back. As she did, her Triforce glowed, filling her with warmth to ease the pain.

She blinked as she began to see her surroundings more clearly. Sheik was holding her tightly. Rusl was kneeling next to her. Her eyes were wet and her body was shaking, as if it had been overworked. She took deep gasps of air.

"Zelda?" Rusl asked. His face was filled with grave, worry lines.

"Princess?" Sheik asked, looking at her. His red eyes were filled with worry.

She sat up and looked at them. "I am fine. I had a nightmare and I think I just hit my back and that's what caused that."

Sheik and Rusl's nodded, but both looked wary.

"Really," she said, "I am fine. There is nothing to worry about. Really." She was about to stand up, but Sheik stopped her.

"Princess Zelda," Sheik said, looking at her. "Are you sure you are well? Perhaps you should get more rest."

"No!" Zelda nearly yelled. "No… I don't want more rest. Thank you for your concern though, Sheik. I am quite well though."

Sheik nodded and he and Rusl left her tent. Sheik still looked like he was worried about her.

Zelda sighed. She stood and walked out of the tent. She stretched, trying to relieve her stiff, sore muscles that had become even more stiff from her little attack. She felt her back pop as she stretched. Then she shook herself and walked out through the camp.

She walked slowly, feeling her heart's many pieces still trying to beat as she remembered what Rusl had said. She bit her lip. Would Link have really lived against Ganondorf? She doubted it.

She looked up at the wall, still confused on how Sheik and the others had plotted to break her free from the prison camp. As she stared, a Gerudo walked up. A horrible smile was on the woman's face.

"Well, well," she said, "If it isn't Princess Zelda?" She bowed, mockingly. "And what are you doing in such a humble abode as our prison camp?"

Zelda kept her mouth shut. She knew what would happen if she argued or even spoke back to the woman. But she also knew that she would get punished if she didn't say anything.

"What?" the woman asked. "Zelda, Crown Princess of Hyrule, is too important to even speak to me?" She laughed humorlessly. Then she struck Zelda across the face.

Zelda fell. She sat up and clutched her cheek. She looked at the woman, frightened.

"That's right," the woman said, darkly. "You know you hold no power here. I heard that you bear the Mark of a Curse on your back. Is that true?"

Zelda kept silent. She knew the woman knew it was true. She was just looking for a way to cause pain to Zelda.

The woman spit on her. She cackled, "Too afraid to tell me?" She kicked her in the side. "Well, you should be."

A voice yelled and the woman turned. She listened as they called for her to go be on watch. She frowned and turned to Zelda

"Aw…" she said, in a baby voice. "And we were having so much fun! Well, don't worry dearest Princess. I will come back for you tomorrow." With that, she left.

Zelda felt tears in her eyes. She sat up again and put her hands over her heart. She closed her eyes. "Link…" she whispered as tears began to fall. "I wish you were here."

* * *

Ending Comments: Yeah... Sorry this took so long. Um... Well, they are going to escape next chappie so stay tuned for that. I plan to update faster since I have Summer Break! Hurrah! Oh and don't forget... Review please!


	4. Chapter 3

MangaMaid's notes: Hello… Um… Sorry this is so late. I feel bad now. Any who… I thank you all who reviewed, story alerted, favorited, etc. I still have to make that list… -_-" I feel so bad, I got really behind. Anyways… I hope you enjoy. I think you might like this chappie. But I'm not telling why! You'll just have to read on! ^^ Please enjoy!

* * *

Zelda stood up and walked back slowly, clutching her side. It hurt painfully when she tried to breathe. It was probably bruised as she hadn't heard a crack. She fought tears and forced herself to not cry. She walked back to the main part of camp and wandered in.

Anju quickly walked up to her. "Zelda! There you are! I was looking for-!" She stopped when she saw the red mark on Zelda's cheek. "Oh my… What happened?"

Zelda shook her head, signaling that she didn't want to talk it. She kept holding onto her side as Anju walked up to get a better look at her and gently touched the red mark. Zelda winced as the red mark throbbed.

Anju looked at her, her eyes tight as she felt pain for Zelda. She said, "You should get some rest, dear."

Zelda shook her head. She did not want to go back to sleep. She murmured, "No… I'm fine." Before Anju could argue, Zelda turned and walked off.

Zelda walked around the camp until she found a rock all by itself. She sat there, trying to ignore the pain in her side. She looked up at sky. It was still a couple of hours before sunset. She had never felt so alone in her life as she closed her eyes.

She began humming a soft lullaby. Her lullaby. The lullaby Link had made for her when they had been trapped in the cave in Faron Woods during a thunderstorm.

They had been visiting the Kokiri in the Kokiri Woods to get some medicine to help Link's sister, Aryll, with the cold she had gotten and one of Link's friends, Saria, had given Link an ocarina. On their way home, while they were in the Faron Woods, a peal of thunder had reached their ears and it began to rain.

Link had pulled Zelda into the cave. As he did so, lightning had flashed across the sky, frightening Zelda. Zelda recalled the memory.

"_Link!"10-year-old Zelda yelled, grabbing onto her best friend and hugging him, tightly as she jumped into him._

_Link fell onto his rear and looked stunned at Zelda. "Zelda? What was that for?" When she didn't answer, Link asked, "Zel, you ok? It's just a storm. It'll pass."_

_Zelda still grasped onto Link tightly. She was shaking. Thunderstorms had always scared her. They made her uneasy and she would always hide under one of her quilts Impa had sewn her or their table._

_Link sighed and patted her head. He then reached into his bag and pulled out the ocarina. He began playing a song._

_Zelda looked up at him as he began playing. Soft, sweet notes flowed from the ocarina and merged to form what sounded like a lullaby. The soft notes soothed Zelda while the storm roared outside._

_Zelda felt sleepy as the song kept going. But before she could doze off, Link finished. Zelda looked up at him and said, "That was really pretty Link."_

"_Thanks," Link said, going a little red._

"_Where'd you learn it?" she asked. _

"_I made it up…" he admitted._

"_Really? That's pretty cool Link," Zelda said, her voice sounding like she was about to doze. "It sounded like a lullaby."_

_Link was quiet for a moment. He seemed to be deciding something. Finally, he said, "It is a lullaby." _

"_Who for?" Zelda asked, her eyelids slipping. "Aryll?"_

"_No…" Link said._

"_Then who?" Zelda asked, forcing herself to stay awake. _

"_My best friend," Link said, looking at her like he was trying to gauge her reaction._

_A sound of thunder roared right above them, but Zelda was too far gone. But before she drifted off, she said, "Thanks Link… You're my best friend too." Then, she fell unconscious._

Zelda kept humming the song, forcing herself to forget everything. Her surroundings, the heart-breaking news that Rusl had shared, everything. It worked as she focused on the notes until she began reaching the song's ending.

Zelda felt her throat grow tight as she finished. That lullaby had been her constant companion in the prison camp, soothing her when she felt so alone or broken. But now, that song was the last thing she had of her best friend and her old village besides Rusl.

She shook her head and saw it was getting close to sunset. She forced herself not to think of Link or Ordon. She stood up and walked back to camp.

As soon as she did, Anju, who had obviously been looking for her, came up to her. "There you are, Zelda," Anju said, looking relieved. "You need to come with me for a moment."

Zelda blinked and then followed Anju into a tent where a few women including Marin sat. Zelda turned to Anju. "What is going on?"

Anju turned to Zelda, "Zelda, we can't explain right now. But you need to pull up your right sleeve, please."

Zelda blanched. All the prisoners wore long sleeves and no one ever asked to see the dominant forearm for a reason. She took her breath and asked, "Why?"

"We need to put bandages on your forearm. You'll be too easy to turn in if you are caught with _that _on your arm," an older woman said.

Zelda nodded reluctantly and pulled up her sleeve. On her arm, the angry red letters seemed to shine up at them. They read: _Hy. F. GC. 0001._ Several of the women gasped.

One asked, "You were the first prisoner at this camp?"

"How deep did they cut you?" another breathed.

"Pretty deep for it to be that red," another said.

Zelda grimaced at the mark on her arm. Every person who was put into a prison camp was given one. It was like a tag. Each told, in order, what race the person was, their gender, what prison camp they had escaped from, and what number they were. Each number was given in order to tell how many prisoners were at the camp. Zelda and Sheik were 0001 and 0002. The marks had been made by the Gerudo guards dipping a small, but sharp knife into some sort of poison that made wounds angry and red, no matter how healed up they were. The darker the red, the deeper the cut.

Anju clapped her hand. "Ladies, I'm sorry, but we need to bandage this up. Time is short and we need to get her out."

The women nodded and then pulled out a roll of white clean bandages. Zelda asked as they began wrapping it around her arm, "Where did you get these? The guards never give out bandages unless someone is really injured."

"One of the men nicked it," another elderly lady said. "Lucky he wasn't caught."

"And there you go," a younger woman said. "You're all done."

Zelda looked at the bandages on her arm covering the mark. She stared at it and then looked at all the women, feeling grateful. "How can I ever thank-?"

The first elderly woman who had told her why she needed to show her forearm said, "You can thank us by getting rid of that no good leader, Ganondorf. It's high time he was knocked off his throne and the rightful rulers of Hyrule came back. This world is not the same without Light."

Zelda nodded and thanked them. Then, Anju rushed her out of the tent where Sheik was waiting. She blinked surprised.

Anju spoke, "She's all bandaged up. I need to go find Kafei."

Sheik nodded and Anju darted away to find her husband. Sheik turned to Zelda. "Now, Princess. Follow me."

He led her to away to what Zelda knew to be a blind spot for the guard's watchtowers. He then held out a thick rubbery kind of skin that had been made into a bag. She stared at it.

"What is that made of?" she asked.

"Skin from a Deku Toad," he said. He put it in her hand. "I have kept it hidden on my person from the time we came here." He smiled, but it was a hard line when he said, without humor, "Gerudos know better than to mess with Sheikahs. Anything placed inside will not get wet. Impa and I were going to give it to you on your 15th birthday. But, with what happened… Well, better late than never, right?"

Zelda smiled at Sheik and took the bag. She then said, "Thank you Sheik."

Suddenly a loud yell caused Zelda to turn, confused. Sheik spoke, "It's starting. Come this way, Princess." He took Zelda's hand and began running to the group of people that had gathered. When they got there Zelda saw what was going on.

The group was formed in a ring. In the center of the ring stood a Gerudo and a male prisoner. The Gerudo was glaring down at the male prisoner.

"So…" she said. "You think you can be smart-mouthed about our great leader, Ganondorf and get away with it?"

"Yeah…" the young man said. "Because he's not great and he shouldn't be our leader! I think he's a coward who hides behind people! He's no leader!"

The Gerudo snarled, "You dare-!"

But her voice was drowned out by the sudden outburst of cheering and agreeing from everyone around. Then, someone charged the Gerudo and took her down and everyone broke into a giant fight.

Sheik shielded Zelda and pulled her away from the violence. He pulled her off to where she could see Rusl, Anju, and Kafei. Two horses were there and Anju and Kafei were mounted on one.

Rusl held out two cloaks. "Put this one. I fear we haven't much time."

As Zelda slid on the cloak, she asked, stunned, "How did you get all this?"

Kafei spoke quickly. "The Postman who delivers the letters to the Gerudos. He sends messages to the Rebellion in Kakariko. He brought these here for us from Kakariko earlier for us."

Sheik then spoke, "We must hurry. Anju, Kafei. You must go ahead of us and find Rusl's friend. Tell him we are coming."

Anju and Kafei nodded. Anju looked at Zelda. "May you have a safe trip, Zelda. Be careful, and I'll see you soon in Kakariko."

Zelda nodded. "You have a safe trip too," she murmured.

Rusl spoke, "Go, you two! We have no time to waste. I will make sure that Sheik and Zelda will follow you in only a few minutes. Now you must go! Give my message to Renado. He will understand."

Kafei nodded and spurred the horse to run. The horse charged away. Zelda watched her two friends grow smaller in the darkness. She watched until she was sure that she couldn't see them or make them out in the distance.

Suddenly a high yell sounded. All three turned to look back at the camp. The Gerudo had rushed into the fight after seeing one of their guards attacked. They had pulled out their scimitars and glaives and began attacking the prisoners' extremities to knock them down. No one had been killed yet, so Zelda guessed that maybe Ganondorf had a reason for keeping the prisoners alive.

However, the prisoners had taken poles from tents, picked up sharp rocks, and used them to attack the Gerudo. Some had even forced out the torches the Gerudo used to light the camp at night were using them as weapons. Blood was on the ground but as both sides were being injured, Zelda couldn't tell who's it was. But she had a sickening feeling that most of it came from the prisoners.

Rusl turned to Sheik and Zelda. "Our time is growing short and I must get back to help our friends. You both must leave quickly."

Sheik nodded and hoisted himself on the horse. He turned to Rusl, giving him a look that Zelda didn't understand.

Rusl grabbed Zelda's shoulders. "Zelda," he said, speaking quickly. "We may not see each other for a long time. In fact, we may never see each other again. But in case that happens, I want you to know something I've known about for a while. You have been blessed by Din, Nayru, and Farore themselves, you know that as you have seen Nayru's blessed triangle upon your hand since before you can remember. You are of royal birth and therefore the rightful ruler of Hyrule. But you need to know something. No Triforce can fight another alone. We all know that Ganondorf carries Din's sacred triangle. Therefore, you must find Farore's bearer. Without their help, we are doomed. Do you understand?" Zelda nodded her head quickly. Rusl spoke even faster now. "Good. One more thing." He handed Zelda two letters. "If you find Uli and Link… If they're still alive… Give them these," he said.

Zelda felt her throat grow tight and she nodded, taking the letters and stowing them in her clothes. Tears began flowing down her cheeks. She quickly hugged Rusl. Then, he let go and Sheik hoisted her up on the horse, in front of him.

Sheik then spurred the horse to go. It reared; giving a little startled whinny, then began running.

Zelda turned to watch from over Sheik's shoulder and watched as Rusl ran back in. Then moments later, she saw the camp on fire. Her eyes widened as her ears picked up screaming, but as for who it was, she could not tell.

Her vision grew blurry as tears fell down her face. She watched as it grew smaller hoping that the prisoners were all right. But soon the orange and red light that the camp gave vanished as the horse raced on.

She turned around facing forward. She forced herself not to cry as they kept on. Sheik put a hand on her shoulder briefly, as a form of comfort as she bit her lip.

"Zelda," he said, using her name. "They knew what they were doing. And many of them have either led rebellions against Ganondorf or been in them before. Why do you think they were in the most guarded prison camp in all of Hyrule? They will be fine."

Zelda nodded, but she knew deep down that they wouldn't be. She felt her heart ache and go out to all the people that had just given everything for her freedom. She wouldn't forget what they had done.

They rode on into what she recognized as Hyrule Field. But she was surprised. The grass was black and dead and the trees, though alive, seemed sick and unwell. It was nothing like she remembered.

Suddenly, a horn sounded and Zelda heard growling sounds. Both she and Sheik turned to see creatures riding Bullbos which were giant boar like creatures. Zelda recognized their riders as Bulblins.

Suddenly, one of the Bulblins shot a flaming arrow. It missed, but barely. It hit the ground and startled the horse. The horse reared and then charged on its own accord, running like mad.

The flaming arrow that hit the ground had set the dead grass nearby ablaze. It began spreading quickly, the fire racing along. Smoke rose and the fire burned as the sky began to thunder. It seemed that it was going to rain.

Sheik turned to look behind them and then spurred the horse to go faster. The horse gladly obliged.

Zelda could hear the Bulblins behind them and she looked fearfully up at her guard. His crimson eyes were narrowed as he urged the horse on. He looked worried. Zelda knew that they were in trouble by his expression. Sheikah were not very emotional, and Sheik was no exception.

Suddenly she saw the fire ahead of them. She gasped as she realized they were about to be closed in. She felt her body grow cold.

Sheik glanced to his side for a moment, his eyes resting on something, and then spoke. "Princess?"

"Yes, Sheik?" she asked, hoping her fear was not leaking into her voice.

"I have a plan on how to get you out of here. But you must trust me," his voice was urgent.

"I've always trusted you and Impa, Sheik," Zelda said, looking at her friend.

"I am going to throw you into the river there," he said, turning his head to the river on his right. "I know you cannot swim, but it is the only way. Put Rusl's letters in the skin I gave you. That will keep them dry when you hit the water. Do not worry about being caught since Bulblins are stupid as we both know and they will think nothing of it and follow me. The river will carry you off and you will be safe."

"And you?" she asked as placed Rusl's letters in the little sack.

"The horse will be able to go faster with less weight and if they try to capture me, they'll see what happens to those who dare try to blatantly attack a Sheikah with no thought of self-preservation." His voice was deadly and Zelda shuddered. He then said, "I need to throw you now. Be safe, Highness. May you be guarded while you journey alone."

Zelda nodded and murmured, "You too."

Sheik nodded and then lifted up Zelda. He threw her slight frame towards the river. She flew for a few moments and then hit the water with an icy blast.

She surfaced for a moment and watched as Sheik turned the horse away from the river and ran. She then felt the current pull her away and under. She fell under the surface, holding her breath.

She couldn't see were the river took her as it swept her on. She finally felt her lung need for air and she kicked to try and force herself up to surface like Link had tried to teach her many years ago.

But she couldn't. Her cloak was soaked through and much heavier. It pulled her down away from the surface.

Zelda tried to fight it, but her ragged clothing also weighed her down. She then tried to hold her breath, but her lungs, already aching from lack of oxygen, quickly won that fight. Zelda gasped and water went into her lungs. She choked and her lungs tried desperately to intake air, but all they received was cold water. She struggled and, by accident, her back and mark slammed into the wall.

The pain shot through her. As it did, Zelda saw the world for one moment in bright color and then her world went black.

Zelda's first thought went she woke up was that she felt she was being pulled upward through the water. She thought about it and supposed that her soul was departing for Heaven. She realized with sadness that she had died and failed. Her only comfort was knowing that she would be safe where she went and she hoped Link would be there.

As she broke surface though, she began coughing, her lungs on fire. She gasped, coughed, hacked, and choked as her lungs took in the air. She blinked blearily as she felt something tugging her to the shore by the hood of her cloak.

When she was safely on the edge of the river, her feet barely touching it, Zelda felt the need to sleep. She looked up, trying to see her rescuer, as her world grew fuzzy, but all she thought she saw was a familiar boy with blonde hair.

"Link?" she asked, tiredly. Then, exhaustion overtook her as she closed her eyes once more.

Zelda awoke to the warmth of the sun on her face and shoulders. She opened her eyes to see that she was on the river bank, laying face down. She blinked and realized it was almost midday. She pulled her cloak's hood over her head, covering her face.

She looked around, trying to get a grip on where she was, but she recognized nothing. But off in the distance, she saw trees. She recognized it as a forest. She decided that the forest would be a good place to hide.

She stood up, stiffly. She began stretching and felt her joints pop. She then began walking towards the forest.

Zelda walked quickly and watched all around her. She kept her eyes and ears peeled for any signs of trouble. She glided along Hyrule Field, hoping that she wouldn't come across any enemies.

The sun beat down on Zelda, making her dark cloak grow unbearably warm. But she didn't dare take it off. She didn't want anyone who wasn't a friend to find her. The thought to take off her cloak persisted, saying it was too hot to wear such a dark cloak, it was too heavy, and other thoughts. But she did not give in.

Zelda walked along and she realized that the trees were much, much closer than before. This excited her and she walked toward them, grateful that she would soon have relief from the heat and be able to rest. She smiled weakly as she walked toward them.

When she was just about to reach the cool shade of the trees, Zelda heard a sound that startled and frightened her. She turned slowly and saw Bulblins wandering around. She froze when she saw one notice her. It called to its companions and they all turned to stare at her. Then, they charged.

Zelda felt adrenaline burn in her veins and she shot off like an arrow from a bow and ran right into the trees. She ran through the root covered ground. Her cloak flew out behind her while her heart pounded and her feet pushed her on. She ran from the Bulblin sounds and went deeper into the forest.

Low tree branches hit her as she ran, but as she was not paying attention, they felt like gentle caresses. Roots tripped her, but by a stroke of luck, she didn't lose her footing. She finally came across a path. She came out of the dense growth, slid down to it, and turned onto the path, running faster now that nothing hindered her.

The dirt path carried Zelda past a little clearing that held a spring. Zelda stopped out of mere shock and surprise. It looked like Faron's Spring in the Faron Woods. Was she so close to Ordon? But she couldn't possibly be in Faron Woods, the spring didn't feel like what she had once remembered. The spring had been filled with light and the water had been clean. But the water here looked polluted and… dead, if that was even possible.

More strange gurgling sounds broke into Zelda's thoughts. The Bulblins were still chasing her. She turned back onto the path and ran on. The trees seemed to be thinning and rock was rising to create a wall on either side of her. Then she saw the bridge.

Instantly, she knew where she was. She was at Ordon Bridge. To her horror, though, she saw the bridge's gate had been shut and locked. She stopped and she listened to hear the Bulblins coming closer. She stared at the gate and saw the flowering vines wrapping around it. An idea came to her.

Quickly, she grasped the flowering vine and pulled herself up onto it. When she found it worked, she began pulling herself up higher. As her hand was about to reach the top of the gate, Zelda felt a hard jerk from her cloak. She gasped and looked down to see the Bulblins were below her, grasping for whatever they could.

She kicked her cloak out of the Bulblin's grubby hand and pulled herself up to the top. She went over the top and dropped herself onto the bridge. She turned and to see the other gate was locked. She ran to it and turned back to her pursuers to see them climbing the gate as well. Zelda then pulled herself up the second gate with fervor.

She quickly got over the second gate and landed on solid ground. She saw the path that led to Ordon, but turned from it to her right and ran into the trees. She hid behind a tree and sunk down into a sitting position as the hood fell from her face.

She was exhausted. The adrenaline that had pushed through the woods and over the two gates was gone and she felt so tired. She was hungry and her body ached everywhere. She bit her lip as she heard the Bulblins coming close to her. It was obvious that they had seen her not take the path.

Zelda held her breath as one passed by her tree. She saw its red eyes searching. Finally, it gave up and turned around. Zelda breathed a sigh of relief. Then, she realized her mistake.

The Bulblin turned, hearing her exhale and began looking quickly. It found her quickly. It gave a shout of what Zelda expected to be joy. Then, it raised its club.

Zelda reacted. She closed her eyes and her hands went up to defend herself. As they went up, she felt sudden warmth upon her right hand and a blue crystal suddenly appeared around Zelda. When the club hit it, the club recoiled back. Zelda opened eyes and saw the crystal and her Triforce glowing. She looked at it, surprised as it had never glowed before. While Zelda was staring, she was brought back to the predicament she was in as the Bulblin looked at its club, then at Zelda and the blue crystal protecting her. It then attacked the shield again.

This time, rather than the club just bouncing away, the club actually flew out of the Bulblin's hand and into a tree. The Bulblin went to retrieve his club.

As he turned, Zelda stood, pulled her hood up, turned to her left, and ran. The Bulblin noticed and suddenly called out as it began following. The others came quickly.

Zelda ran, her legs burning. She was so tired, but she forced herself to keep moving, knowing that if she stopped she would be caught. Now, the low tree branches that hit her slapped her face, and the roots that kept tripping her caused her to fall twice. She kept picking herself up and moving, not knowing exactly where she was headed.

Zelda saw ahead a drop. She stopped, and looked down. It was Ordona's Spring below her. She didn't have time to focus on it as she heard noises behind her. She turned on her heel to see that the Bulblins had her cornered. They had formed a semi-circle around her and she had no ways of escaping.

They took a step forward. She raised her hands in front of her and said, "Uh… Nice Bulblins?" She took a step back and felt the drop-off with her heel. She couldn't go anywhere and they knew it.

They all turned to each other and began conversing in their strange language, but Zelda could almost hear what they were saying.

_"Well, now what do we do?"_

_"I don't know."_

They were trying to decide what to do with her. She watched them; hoping that she could find a way to escape, but it seemed as if the Bulblins had covered everything. She bit her lip, trying to figure out what to do.

Suddenly, one of the Bulblins became impatient and swung at her, barely missing her feet. Zelda took an involuntary step backward. Zelda felt nothing beneath her foot and she fell backwards, off the edge.

The wall wasn't too high and Zelda turned in the air. She fell on her side that had been kicked by the Gerudo and the wind was knocked out of her. She hissed in pain, holding her sides. She could tell that her side was bruised.

The Bulblins yelled and growled in anger. She looked up as she saw some of them walking to the edge to look down at her. Then one jumped down to get to her and several others soon began to follow.

Zelda forced herself to get up and her hood fell over her eyes for a second before she got up. When she did, she looked at the Bulblins as they walked towards her. She backed away slowly as they raised their clubs. They backed her into a wall and raised their clubs as if to attack her. Zelda felt nothing on her right hand and closed her eyes, preparing to be beaten and splattered.

Suddenly, a screech exploded from one of the creatures in front of her. She opened her eyes, surprised to find the Bulblin had a sword sticking through the middle of it. Holding that sword was a blonde young man, though Zelda couldn't see his face from the angle he had bent to attack the Bulblin.

The man pulled his sword out and as he did, the Bulblin fell, bleeding for a small moment before it exploded. The Bulblins turned away from Zelda and went for the man that had attacked their comrade. They raised their clubs and charged him.

The man was ready for them though. He pulled back his sword for a moment and when several were closing in from all sides, spun around. They attack beheaded the closer ones, causing them to explode instantaneously, while the farther away ones were sent flying into walls, exploding as they hit the stone. He stood up and Zelda saw the pointed ears that deemed him a Hylian. He looked at her for a moment, but Zelda noticed a Bulblin who had been on the walls come down, trying to sneak behind him.

"Look out!" she yelled.

Zelda watched with wide eyes as her attackers came at the person that had come, seemingly, from thin air. He spun around to see it jumping him. He lifted his sword and swiped at it. It fell, dropping the club and exploding into nothingness.

He turned his head to glare at the remaining Bulblins as if to warn them. They, however, did not heed his warning. They jumped down and began charging. He decimated them quickly and they exploded one after another.

One was left remaining. It had hung back and it walked to him with slowness, as it had figured out that rushing him did nothing. The man held out his sword in front of him as a defense. When the Bulblin figured it was close enough, it raised its club, sealing its fate.

The man swiped at the Bulblin, knocking it down. He then jumped into the air and came down, stabbing the Bulblin. He jumped back and the Bulblin exploded. His back was to Zelda as he swung the sword in front of him and then twirled it before he put the sword back in to the sheath that was behind him.

Zelda's eyes widened. There was only one person in the whole world she knew that did that after a fight. But, it couldn't be… After all, he was dead… Wasn't he?

The man turned to her. He looked warily at her as he asked, "Are you all right?"

She stared at his every feature, stunned. This man looked like an older version of Link. It was odd, as she recognized some of the features that looked like Link's fifteen-year-old self in this man's face. His blonde hair was longer, his facial features more pronounced, he was taller and his limbs more supple, but she could see the blue Sheikah earrings that looked exactly like the ones Impa had given Link for his birthday. The blue pools of laughter that made up Link's eyes were not found in the swordsman's; his eyes were wary and serious, with something Zelda couldn't quite read lurking behind them.

But, this couldn't be Link. After all, Rusl had said that he had heard Link come after Ganondorf, most likely fighting him and having the King of Darkness pronounce him, practically, dead. No one ever survived after fighting Ganondorf. Ever. Link was dead. It was impossible for him to be alive.

But this man looked so much like her friend. She stared up at him with wild eyes, trying to make sense of everything. He looked back at her, his face still guarded, but a hint of confusion was creeping up into his eyes.

"Miss," he said, "Are you all right? Is something wrong?"

Zelda took a deep, shuddering breath and spoke the name of the person that had haunted her for all the years she had been trapped in the prison camp. The person who's death, when she had found out about it, haunted her for what seemed an eternity. The person who was her partner in crime, her playmate, her best friend.

"Link?"

* * *

Ending Comments: Well, there you have it! I brought Link in! Hooray! I hope you liked it. Please review! I really want to know what you think!


	5. Chapter 4

Manga Maid's Notes: I AM SOOOO SORRY! I haven't updated in almost a year! This is terrible! I am soooo sorry! I am so, so, so sorry! Please forgive me! Please, please, please forgive me! I am sooo sorry! I had the chappie almost done, saved it on a stick (AKA flash drive), lost the stick, never got it back, had to rewrite from scratch, got brainblocks, etc., etc. Anywho, here's Chapter 4.

* * *

Zelda looked up at the man as suddenly fear filled her body. She was such an idiot! Even if he did look like Link, that didn't make him Link. For all she knew, he could be a hallucination, a monster, or a creation by Ganondorf to catch her. She bit her lip, looking up at him with fear.

The man's eyes narrowed and became guarded. He looked at her as if trying to see under her hood. Lifting his hand, he pushed back the cloth, and began to search her face. Then, he frowned and glared at her. "Who _are_ you? And how did you know my name?"

Zelda felt a little stung, hurt by the fact that even though this was Link, he didn't recognize her. She then realized what he was probably seeing. A girl who looked like she had been starved, with sunken features on her face, and hair so dirty it was brown. Looking down, she didn't answer.

Link's eyes narrowed even more and his voice came out in almost a growl. "Answer me!"

Zelda looked up at him and took several steps back. Not noticing the slope into the deeper part of the spring, she began to fall backwards. Her arms flailed, as she tried balance herself. But try as she might, she failed to regain her balance and fell.

Link instantaneously reached out for her and grabbed her cloak. Tugging at the fabric, he pulled her from the edge and into him. As she hit his chest, he wrapped his arms around her, keeping her away from the treacherous edge, while she clung to him. His hands came to rest on her back as he froze, seemingly shell-shocked.

Zelda closed her eyes, expecting pain to come, but it didn't. Surprised, she peered up into Link's face and saw his eyes were widened in shock and seemed to be far away. Figuring it was because she had clung on to him, she stepped back quickly. "I'm sorry!"

Link stood there for a moment, blinking. Then, his eyes seemed to come back to the here and now as they cleared. Then he pinched the bridge of his nose as if he was irritated. He turned away, shaking his head.

Zelda hesitantly stepped forward. "Um…" She bit her lip. "Are you all right?"

He spun around quickly and looked down at her. "Your name."

"Huh?"

"Tell me your name."

Zelda stuttered and stumbled on her words for a moment. "M-M-My na-name? Oh… it's, uh, it's… um… Ma-Marin." She froze. _'Why did I say Marin's name?'_

Link raised his eyebrows. "Marin, huh?"

"Yep… That's my name… Marin."

Rolling his eyes, Link turned away and walked to the gate on the edge of the springs. Zelda watched him leave, wondering quietly to herself what she should. _'Does he expect me to follow him? Or is he leaving me behind to stay here?'_

As she stood there, watching him go, he suddenly turned around. "You coming?"

Zelda started in surprised. "Oh! Yes, I'm coming."

"Well then, hurry up."

"Right." Zelda sloshed through the spring, accidentally tripping on a rock on the bottom. As her face hit the water, she realized how murky the water was. It was clean, yes, but the Light Spirit seemed… dead. Plus, there was darkness in the water. Gasping in shock, she stood, horrified.

Link sighed in annoyance. "Something wrong?"

"The Spring… It's… It's… dead."

"Obviously." He began to walk away. "Now, c'mon, we don't have all night. But hey, if you want to get attacked again, stay put. I'm sure the Bulblins would _love _to have you for dinner."

Zelda pulled up her cloak and patched up skirt and began to walk towards him. As she did, she realized vaguely that she was still wearing her prisoner's outfit. Feeling self conscious, she pulled the cloak tighter as she caught up to Link. "So," she started off, "Bulblins get in this far?"

"Sometimes, they get all the way to Ordon," Link said, not looking at her.

"Wait, Ordon's not destroyed?"

Link stopped and turned to look at her. "Who told you it was?"

"Uh… Well, all Hyrule's heard about the attack on it. No one believes it's standing. "

Link stared at her for a moment. Then, his eyes seemed to linger on something behind her. He then turned back to the path and began to leave her behind. "Whatever."

Zelda picked up her skirt and cloak again and ran to catch up to him. As she caught up to him, she panted, out of breath from having to drag heavy clothing. She walked with him as she was lead into Ordon.

Ordon was not as she remembered. Before, it had been a cheery little town, but now it seemed to be a ghost town. The houses that Zelda recognized had been scorched black by what had obviously been a fire and there were some that were completely rebuilt. Planks of wood were propped against some houses to keep them standing and ropes were tying them down. There were no children running around, and all was quiet. The only signs of life at the moment were the lights in the worn buildings, signifying someone lived there.

Link grabbed Zelda by the shoulder and steered her over on the path, going on the right fork in the road, passing two bridges, and led her up to the house up on a hill in the back right. He paused at the door before giving it three sharp raps.

The door creaked open to show a woman's face staring out of it. She had short blonde hair and blue eyes that seemed a bit frightened. As soon as she saw who it was at the door, she opened the door, revealing she was very pregnant. She wore a long sleeved white shirt, a green shoulder sash, a coral wrap, and navy pants. "Link! It's almost sunset, what are you doing here?"

"Sorry Uli…" Link said, "But…" He pushed Zelda in front of him. "I found this girl in the woods."

Uli looked at Zelda, seeing her in all her destitute state, and said, "Oh, my! Come in, dear, you look like you've been in a war." After ushering Zelda in, she turned to Link. "I'll take care of her, Link. Don't you worry."

"Thanks Uli," he said, sighing with relief. He looked away for a moment. "Now, I have to go. Good night!" He turned and ran off.

"Link!" she called, "I don't want you to go on patrol tonight! You need sleep! Promise me! I want you to… Oh… That boy… He's going to get himself killed one of these days..." She turned to Zelda. "Now, let's take a look at you dear." Pulling Zelda in front of her, it only took a moment before she said, "I think a bath is what you need." Turning to the other person in the house, she said, "Colin, you can take your bath tomorrow."

Zelda heard a small cheer of "yes!" and turned, to see Colin sitting on the couch. He was wearing a white vest-like shirt, teal leggings, a grey wrap, and a yellow belt. Zelda instantly recognized the clothing to be Link's old clothing from childhood.

Uli turned back to Zelda. "What's your name, my dear?"

"Oh… Marin."

Uli turned to a whistling kettle that was sitting on the fire. "Marin… That's a lovely name. And where are you from?"

"I lived by the ocean…" Zelda said, feeling the lies stick to the roof of her mouth.

"Where?"

Zelda felt her blood turn to ice. She didn't know much about the geography of Hyrule. When she had been younger, it had always been Rusl or Mayor Bo who had left Ordon to either get supplies or drop something off. Searching her brain for places Rusl had mentioned, she finally remembered one.

"The bay that receives the supplies from Koholint Island..." Zelda said, trying to keep her nerves under control.

"Oh," Uli said, taking the kettle off the fire and pouring the steaming contents into a metal tub full of water in the corner. "You mean, the Great Bay?"

"Yes," Zelda answered, relieved.

"My, no wonder you look so ragged and worn. That's a long journey. Took my husband, Rusl, nearly two months to get there and back. And that was when everything went well and there were no delays."

Zelda spoke softly, knowing she had to ask this question, unless she wanted to seem strange. "Where is your husband?"

Uli paused as she stood. "You won't see him… He and most of the men… were… taken by Ganondorf."

Zelda glanced at Colin, who was suddenly looking at his feet with sudden interest. "I'm sorry."

Uli turned. "Don't worry about it, dear. It's not your fault. And you didn't know. Anyways, the bath is ready." She threw a long sheet over a simple line that was strung from a wall to the adjoining one hiding the tub from view. "I'll be helping Colin get ready for bed. If you need anything, don't hesitate to ask. Ok?"

"Ok… Thank you…"

"Don't mention it, Marin. We all must stick together in these dark times. Colin, can you place the stool beside the tub for Marin to place her clothes?"

"Yes, Mom," Colin said, carrying a stool to sit near the tub.

Zelda smiled at both of them and then disappeared behind the curtain. As she undressed, she felt a bit glad that her hometown hadn't been destroyed, but torn as she thought of how hard it must be for the people losing family and loved ones. Shaking her head, she took her bandage off and placed it beside the tub so that she wouldn't lose it.

As she stepped into the warm water, Zelda felt as if she was in heaven. The Gerudo back at the prison camps had only allowed freezing showers once a month to keep away bugs and parasites until two years ago when some magicians working for Ganondorf had come and cast upon the prisoners spells to repel bugs and parasites, effectively keeping bugs and parasites away from the prisoners, but keeping them from having to stop work for a shower day.

Zelda looked at the bright red scars staring up at her from her arm, reminding her of everything Ganondorf had done. She reached for a bar of soap sitting on the rail of the tub and scrubbed away the dirt, muck, and grime. She watched as the tan tone her skin had taken on from dirt washed away, revealing it to be much paler. As soon as she was finished, she started on her hair. Soon, the dark, muddy brown changed to blonde.

While she scrubbed, she listened to Uli put Colin to bed. Then, Zelda stood up and out of the tub, dried off, and noticed her clothing had been changed to a long white dress with long sleeves, similar to a nightgown. After she was dressed and had rewrapped her bandage on, she checked to see it the long sleeve covered the bandage, which it did, and left from behind the curtain.

Uli looked at her, startled for a moment. Shaking her head, she smiled, "It seems I was right about you needing that bath."

Zelda smiled. "I guess. What should I do about the tub water though?"

"Don't worry about it." Uli said, walking over to Zelda and placing a hand on her shoulder. "I'll have Link take the tub out and dump it in the morning, when he comes by to bring firewood." Holding out a brush to Zelda, Uli continued, "Now, why don't you brush your hair and I'll get you something to eat. You look like you haven't eaten in days"

Nodding and taking the brush, Zelda did as she was told. She watched Uli go over to the table, take a loaf of bread and cut a chunk off, cut a slice cheese from a wheel, and then she poured goat milk from a pitcher into a cup. Walking back over to Zelda, Uli led her to the table. "It's not much, but I hope it'll tide you over until morning."

Zelda smiled, "Thank you so much." She ripped the chunk of bread into two, placed the cheese slice in between it, and bit into her sandwich. It had been such a long time since she had had fresh bread or any form of cheese. Prisoners rarely got bread and if they did, it was stale. The most they had were vegetable and meat soups, which were very watery and had few good vegetables and mostly meat. The purpose was basically keeping them healthy enough for work.

As such, Zelda savored the taste of fresh bread and cheese in her mouth and polished it off with the milk. It was even better than she remembered it. After finishing her meal, Zelda realized it was one of the first times in all of her years since captivity that she finally felt full. She looked to Uli who smiled at her.

Feeling full and warm, Zelda yawned rubbing at her tired eyes. Uli handed her a quilt. "We only have one bed, so you will have to sleep on the couch if you don't mind."

Zelda looked up at Uli with tears in her eyes. "How can I ever thank you?"

Uli shook her head. "There's really no need, Marin. Now get some rest, I'll see you in the morning."

Nodding, Zelda went to the couch and placed the covers on it. Crawling beneath the covers, she let the warm of the fire touch her while Uli went to put it out. "Ms. Uli, ma'am?" When Uli turned to her, she said, "Thank you… again…" As she finished, sleep, warm and peaceful, took over pulling her away. She didn't even see or hear Uli smile and say, "You're welcome."

...

Zelda awoke to the sound of knocking on a door. Her eyes shot open, she was late! But… wait… This wasn't her tent. After blinking a bit, she realized she was in Uli's home and closed her eyes, hoping to get more sleep.

Soft footsteps treaded lightly on the wooden floor. The door creaked open and Zelda heard Uli's soft voice speak. "Link! Good morning."

"Morning Uli. I brought you firewood."

"Oh, thank you. Come bring it in, Colin and Marin are still asleep."

Uli's footsteps were followed by heavier ones. A thump sounded that Zelda could only guess was the firewood. Then Link spoke, "Do you need anything else Uli?"

"Actually, Link," Uli said, "I need you empty the tub for me, if you could."

"No problem." A few footsteps sounded as Link moved. "Uh, Uli… The tub's has muck at the bottom. Colin wasn't that dirty was he?"

"Oh, no. I had Marin take a bath, she was filthy being caked in mud and grime. Colin's going to be taking his tonight instead. Also, speaking of Marin, I need you to go to Pergie's for me. See if she has some old clothes she's not using."

"Why?"

"Link, did you see the way she was dressed?"

"Not really, she hid under that cloak of hers."

"Well, here's what she was wearing." The sound of cloth being picked up met Zelda's ears. "She was dressed in rags, the poor dear. She must have been scrounging around for clothing for a while. I'll sew her some new ones."

Link said nothing. Zelda could imagine the look that might've crossed his face when he saw the tattered, patched up, sewn loosely together, dingy outfit that had been her prisoner's clothing. It wasn't a pleasant thought. Finally, Link spoke. "I'll go see Pergie."

The footsteps moved and water being dumped outside sounded. Then, there were more footsteps and a metal thunk. Link said, "I think I'll get Ilia, too. You obviously can't bend over and I don't think she'd mind helping you out."

"Thank you Link."

Link must've nodded, because both footsteps moved. Then the door creaked open and close, and then Uli's footsteps were left. As Uli bustled about, Zelda laid still, breathing as if she were asleep. But within moments, she was back to being asleep.

...

"Marin… Time to get up. Marin… honey…" Uli's soft voice penetrated Zelda's thoughts and Zelda felt herself being shaken. Opening her eyes, she saw Uli's face and a girl's who looked about her age. The girl had blonde hair in a short, flip-like hairstyle and was wearing a pale white sleeveless shirt and tan pants. But what got to Zelda were her familiar green eyes. Ilia had obviously grown up.

Sitting up, Zelda rubbed her eyes. "What's going on?"

"Well… Marin, is it?" Ilia said. "Uli said you needed new clothes, so we were going to make you some."

"Oh…" Blinking sleepily, she stood. "Ok… What do I need to do?"

"Put these on," Ilia said, holding folded clothes. "They're from another woman in the village, Pergie, she doesn't have any daughters and consented to letting us tailor her old things for you."

Zelda blinked, staring at the cloth. Taking it, she walked over to where the sheet that Uli had set up the previous night was and changed behind it. After she had changed, she felt rather small. Pergie was much larger than her in stature and Zelda was so thin the clothes hung off her frame. Pergie's sleeves nearly covered her hands and the pants covered her feet.

When she stepped out, Ilia covered her mouth to keep from laughing, while Uli gave a surprised 'Oh my!' Looking down, Zelda blushed, deeply embarrassed. Uli walked over to her. "Don't worry about it, Marin. We'll tailor it."

Ilia walked over to her and nodded. "That's right." She pulled out pins, a needle and thread, scissors, and a seam ripper. "We'll fix it to fit you." She moved Zelda over onto a small stool. "Stand on this."

Zelda obliged and stood still while Uli worked on her shirt and Ilia worked on the pants. As they did, Ilia said, "So, how did you come into Ordon? We never have any visitors."

"I… I got attacked."

"By?" Ilia asked.

"Bulblins."

"What happened?" Ilia asked, looking up surprised.

"That young man, Link, saved me."

"Oh…" Ilia said, looking up. "Well, what do you think of Link?"

"Uh? What?" Zelda asked.

"What do you think of Link?" Ilia asked, curiosity in her eyes.

"Oh… I don't know him well enough to make decisions… But, it was kind of him to save me and bring me here." Zelda flushed, "And one can't deny, he is handsome…"

Ilia grinned. "He is…" She sighed. "I can't wait for Spring."

"Spring?" Zelda asked, startled.

"Oh… Sorry. I haven't properly introduced myself." Ilia said, smiling. "I'm Ilia. Link's my fiancé."

Zelda was startled. Link was her what? Her heart stopped and then plummeted. "Oh… Congratulations."

"Thank you," Ilia said. "I have to admit, I was surprised when I found out he and my dad arranged it. But it was a pleasant surprise, you know? It was as if things had fallen into place at that exact moment and after that things went so smoothly."

"Oh…" Zelda felt like crying. The Link she remembered hadn't ever gotten along with Ilia very much. But, after four years, she supposed things had changed.

Ilia began to gush about why it had been such a big surprise. "I was shocked, you see, because we never really knew each other before. Link always hung around this other girl, Zelda, and I figured he would have married her if she hadn't left."

"Left?" Zelda asked.

"Yes…" Ilia said, her lips tightening. "She was the Princess of Hyrule, you know. I suppose that she decided that her life here in Ordon wasn't good enough for her and decided to leave."

"Ilia!" Uli said, shocked. "Zelda didn't leave by choice if you remember."

"Hmph," Ilia said. "Well, if you remember, she seemed eager to hand over the throne to Ganondorf. I bet you she wasn't expecting him to throw her in a prison camp and have her executed later." Turning away, she muttered, "She deserved it."

Zelda bit her lip as Uli said, shocked, "Ilia! That was uncalled for."

Ilia said, defensively, "But, Uli! You know that it's Zelda's fault for Link being the way he is now! When she left, all she left him with was a broken heart! He's never been the same since."

"That may be so," Uli said, as she pinned a sleeve. "But Zelda was a kind, sweet girl. You and Sera judge her too harshly. Besides," she continued. "If anyone had a right to say anything unkind about her, it would be Link. But, I've never heard Link say a callous thing towards her, so why should you?"

Ilia pursed her lips together and went back to pinning the pants. Finally she looked up. "Anyways, where are you from?"

"The Great Bay," Zelda said, lie at the ready.

"That far?" Ilia said, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes…"

"Well, how did you get chased by Bulblins here?"

"My companion and I were heading to Ka… I mean, Kokiri Woods."

Ilia looked surprised. "Why would you go there? You could get lost. I mean, the Kokiri don't like anybody coming in anymore. I think Link is one of the few they let come and see them now…"

Zelda was saved by Uli intervening, "Ilia, Marin has had a long journey and we're still strangers. I don't think she's going to disclose all of her business to you."

Ilia nodded, slightly embarrassed. She looked back at Zelda, "Sorry."

"S'ok…" Zelda murmured. Her thoughts were sad as she thought about what Ilia and Uli had just said. So, Ilia and Sera didn't like her and by the sound of it, that was putting it lightly. And knowing how close Pergie and Sera were, it was a good guess that Pergie probably didn't like her. She bit her lightly, trying to keep her thoughts positive. At least, Link and Uli didn't sound like they hated her.

After an hour, Ilia and Uli both stood. Uli then put her hands out to Zelda. "We're going to take the clothes and sew them for you."

Nodding, Zelda went behind the sheet, took off the pinned clothes, careful not to move any pins, and changed back into the nightgown. Stepping back out, she handed the clothes to Uli and Ilia, when suddenly there was a knock on the door.

Ilia went to the door and opened it to see a woman standing there. She was heavyset, wearing a white shirt, a pink wrap held by a yellow sash, and purple pants. Her brown hair was set in a flip and her turquoise eyes landed on Uli. "Oh, Uli! There you are! I was worried! It laundry time and you haven't come out to talk to me and Pergie yet. I thought that- Oh hello there!" She interrupted herself as she saw Zelda. Her eyes widened a bit and she said, "Um… Who are you?"

Uli spoke, "This is Marin. She's from the Great Bay."

"Oh really?" Sera said, looking at Zelda. "I've never been there myself! I hear it's a wonderful place with all that sun, the sea, and the sky! I wish I could go there, but no one here really leaves Ordon. That was Rusl's, Uli's husband, dear, job when he was here and now it's Link's. Speaking of which, have you met Link, m'dear?"

Zelda started, "Oh… the Hylian boy?"

"Why yes! Such an extraordinary young man! Shame what happened all those years ago… Speaking of which…" Sera trailed off looking at Zelda. "What was his reaction when you… met?"

"What do you mean?" Zelda asked, as both Uli and Ilia turned to look at her.

"Was he… Surprised? Elated? Infuriated? Though, I don't really think that'd fit the occasion… Was he defensive? Aggressive? Ordona forbid he act aggressive to a woman! Anyways, m'dear, you must tell me! And details! Leave nothing out!"

Zelda flustered, "Uh…" She looked at Uli, who looked mildly exasperated. Then, she turned to Ilia, who had a cross look about her face. Zelda finally came up with a word. "He looked… indifferent?"

Sera looked disappointed. "Really? I would've thought he would've reacted. After all, you look a mighty awful lot like Zelda."

Zelda froze. Uli and Ilia suddenly turned back to face her. As they looked at her, Uli tilted her head to the side, while Ilia stared at her, drinking in her every feature. After a while, Uli spoke.

"Now that you mention it…"

"You're right," Ilia finished.

Before anyone could make anymore comments, there were several sharp raps on the door. Everyone looked at the door as the person on the other side said, "Uli, it's Link. Can I come in?"

Ilia, Uli, and Sera all looked at each other and exchanged nervous glances. Zelda suddenly wished she could disappear while they glanced at her then at the door. Finally the silence was broken by Link's voice.

"Uli? Is everything okay in there?"

"Um… Yes! Everything's fine!" Uli said, snapping out of her anxious state. "Uh… C-Come in!"

The door opened to show Link. It was then Zelda noticed his clothing. He was wearing a white sleeveless shirt with a light forest green sleeve on his left hand, signifying he was a warrior-in-training. He also wore light tan pants with a piece of dark forest green cloth wrapped around them at the waist, a blue wrap held by an orange sash. Under the wrap was piece of cloth that held an insignia on it that all men of Ordon wore. His was light brown and the insignia was an oak leaf. His forearms were wrapped up with long strips of white cloth.

Zelda felt her cheeks flare to life and her mouth go dry as she saw the ghost of silhouettes of muscles under his shirt. Link had always been active, that she knew, but she hadn't realized he would be so robust when he grew up into a man. She looked down at her feet, blushing madly.

"There you are, Sera," Link said, as he saw her. "I saw your laundry outside and I was wondering where you went."

"Really?" Sera said. "Well, I had gone to look for Uli. She hadn't come out to talk to us and I was worried that her baby had come early! Imagine if it had!"

Link shook his head. "I'd rather not. Anyway, what were you talking about?"

"Oh, nothing. Just the usual, boring, everyday, old town gossip!" Sera said, though her tone sounded mildly too happy. "It's nothing you'd want to hear about."

"Really?" Link said, slowly. "Because I thought I heard you mention Zel-"

"Link, really!" Sera said, interrupting him. "Us gossiping about a dead woman! What kind of women do you take us off for?"

Link sighed, closing his eyes and shaking his head. "Anyways, Uli, Fado and I were wondering if you were-" He stopped as his eyes landed on Zelda. Zelda looked up as she felt eyes on her and saw his eyes widen as he caught full view of her face. They looked at each other for a few moments before he turned away suddenly.

Uli said, "Link? You were wondering if I was…?"

Link spoke, not looking at anybody. His voice was awfully quiet. "We were wondering if you were low on goat's milk…"

"Actually, Link, I am running a little bit low for three people," Uli said, trying to look in his face. But he didn't meet her eyes.

"Ok… Ilia? Sera? Are you covered?"

Ilia nodded. "I'm ok…" Her voice was soft as if trying to comfort him.

"Ok… Sera?"

"Yes. I'm fine, Link."

"All right." He then turned and quickly left the house. The door creaked shut and there was silence in the room for a while. Finally, Sera broke it.

"Well," she said, "I, for one, am rather shocked."

"Hmm?" Uli said, looking to her.

Sera turned to Ilia. "You might want to keep an eye on Link, m'dear, if you know what I mean."

Ilia looked confused. "What do you mean?"

"Well, isn't it obvious?" Sera said. When no one answered, she continued, "He was shy when he saw Marin! If you don't watch him, m'dear, she might steal him from you."

"What?" Ilia looked at Zelda, who shook her head rapidly.

Zelda said, "I would never-!"

"That's not what your face said, m'dear," Sera interrupted. "You blushed redder than a ripe tomato when he came into the room."

"I didn't… I mean… Well…"

"See, Ilia," Sera said. "If I were you-"

"HE REMINDS ME OF MY HUSBAND!" Zelda blurted out. The room was silent as the words rang in the air. _'Why did I say that?'_ Zelda mentally scolded herself. _'That was the lousiest, stupidest lie I have ever said.'_

Finally, Ilia spoke. "Your husband?"

"Yes." Zelda said, her tone clipped.

"Well, where is he?" Sera asked, suspicious.

"He and I were traveling together when we got chased by Bulblins. My father didn't approve of the marriage, so we were leaving for Kokiri Woods so that we could be far enough away so we could decide what town we were going to without interference from my father. We got separated when I fell in the river." Zelda tried her best to look saddened by hiding her face behind her hair. She hoped they would buy it.

Sera then spoke, "Oh, you poor thing! Do you have any idea where he is now?"

"No…"

"Oh my!" Sera said, her eyes shining with tears. "What was his name?"

"I'd rather not talk about it…"

"Well, that's fine, m'dear. Perfectly fine." Sera turned to leave. "Just beware, Marin. Link might try to seduce you."

"SERA!" Uli said, shocked. "You know that-!"

Sera interrupted her. "Well, I must be on my way. I need to talk to Pergie, you know. I'll see you in a while. Goodbye!" With that, she left.

Uli sunk into a chair. She said to Ilia, "Pay no attention to it, Ilia. Sera's going off on one of her crazy gossip sprees again…"

Ilia nodded. "I know."

Uli sighed, "Well, by noon at least, Link will have heard about it and it will all get settled. Now then, let's get started on sewing these clothes." Ilia nodded and both sat while Zelda watched them.

As with most things, Uli was right. Sera had spread the rumor so quickly that by eleven o'clock, the only ones who hadn't heard it were Link, who had stayed up in the pastures with the goats, far away from Marin, and Colin, who had decided to help Link with milking the goats.

Both Link and Colin were in the barn. Colin was milking while Link held the goats steady so they wouldn't be frightened and either kick the bucket or kick Colin. As Colin finished, Link said, "Well, that's the last one." He let the goat go after Colin picked up the bucket and was a safe distance away and herded it in back in its pen. As he closed the gate, he heard Fado's voice.

"HEEEEEEEEEEY! LINK!"

Link and Colin looked out toward the door as Fado came running in. "Fado? What's wrong?"

"I… heard…" Fado said, gasping. "The strangest… thing." He glanced at Colin and Link got the meaning.

Link walked over to Colin and knelt at his level. "Colin can you take the milk to your mother?" Colin nodded and walked off with the milk in hand. After he was gone, Link turned to Fado. "What did you hear?"

"I heard from Pergie who heard it from Sera that you were planning to seduce Marin, who is a married woman by the way, and run off and have ninety-seven kids with her."

Link's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Excuse me?"

"It's just what I heard."

Link frowned, and folded his arms in front of him. "All right. First thing, I'm engaged, Fado. I'm not about to run off on Ilia and leave her for anyone else. Second thing, having ninety-seven kids isn't possible. And the third thing, I didn't know Marin was married, and that didn't even matter because I am not attracted to her in the slightest."

"Come on, Link. You and I both know that's not true," Fado said.

"Oh?" Link said, glaring. "Why is that?"

"I saw her today. She looks just like Zelda."

"How does that matter?" Link asked, forcing himself to keep his voice level.

"Zelda meant a lot to you." Fado replied, simply.

"Oh, really? How do you figure that?" Link said, his voice monotone though Fado could hear the pain.

"Because, on the day she left, you were going to ask her to marry you."

* * *

**READ THIS BEFORE YOU DO ANYTHING! **Ok, you may be thinking 'What on earth! Link was going to propose when she disappeared? But he was 15 when Zelda disappeared and she was only 14!' Let me explain. Link wasn't going to marry her right off the bat, if they had been engaged it would have been like about three year engagement period at least. And in Ordon, it wouldn't be awkward for people to get engaged that early but they would put off the marriage until both people were adults. So don't freak, please.

Ending Comments: I'm sorry for this being so late! But please review! I'm going to try and be better at updating! I promise!


	6. Chapter 5

Manga Maid's Notes: Ok! Yes I finally updated. Now, I actually have a good explanation, lovelies! Why didn't I update? Because this last year has been hectic as all get out! I've been in school, writing essays, editing for WhiteXIII and other writers like crazy, had brain blocks, lost pages of this chapter, and a whole bunch of other junk that I don't really care to mention. But, as of late, I got in gear and began to work on this chapter which I had left unattended for quite some time! And I actually was up late at night working on this sometimes.

Now for some sad news, those of you who have read Hyrule Academy by WhiteXIII know I'm leaving. By I'm leaving, that means I am moving from my place of residence to pursue higher education. In layman's terms, I'm going to college! Now I do promise to keep updating, but college is going to take a while to get used to and I may not update until I come back on break! But I will still update, people, so don't lose hope! It just may not be as often. Or… actually it might be more often considering the last time I updated… Anyways…

Oh! I have something else to say: To those of you who left reviews when I last updated, I am so sorry! I know you've been waiting forever, **_please_** **_forgive _**me! To those of you who just favorite or watch, I love that you do that, really I do, but I do want to hear from you. Your opinions are very important to me and I really want to hear from you! I don't bite! Honest!

I actually do plan to get a list up of people who I thank. But seeing as how I have to go through many emails to find you all and I actually was up all night finishing this... not happening this chappie. But thanks to everyone who reviewed, favorited, story alerted, etc. Oh! And special thanks to WhiteXIII for helping me with the fight scene because my brain was shot. ^-^ Anyways, on with the ficceh!

* * *

Chapter 5

Link's eyes widened in surprise, then narrowed, turning them steel blue as they hardened. He turned his head away to look over past his left shoulder and his fists clenched. "_That_," he said, his voice cold and harsh as the blizzards in the Peak Province, "Was a long time ago. A _very _long time ago, Fado."

"It has only been four years," Fado murmured, his voice softer than the wind.

Link turned to look at him, eyes burning with anger. He began to shout, "Four years, four months! What difference does it make?! Time doesn't matter for her, Fado, because she's _dead_! Or did you forget that she was _**murdered**_?!"

"Link, what happened that day wasn't your fault!" Fado said, desperate to calm his friend. "There's nothing you could've done! I mean, you were what? Fifteen? What could you have done?! Those were highly trained kidnappers and probably assassins and-!"

"I would've done _anything_**, **Fado! ANYTHING! I could've saved her! Right when she needed me the most, I let her down and she paid for that with _her life_!"

"Link, I'm sure she doesn't blame you."

"You didn't her face, Fado. She was terrified and I _promised her_ that I would always be there! That I would take care of her!" His eyes darkened and he became quiet. "But it doesn't matter now, does it?"

"But, Link…"

Link gave Fado a look that told him the conversation was over and trudged away from the ranch. Fado slapped his hand on his forehead. He'd really done it now. He knew that Zelda's death weighed heavily on Link's soul and that weight would probably never leave. Closing his eyes, he shook his head and went on to check on the goats.

...

Zelda gently set down the pitcher that Uli had given her to fill as she knelt by the stream. Looking down at herself, she lightly fingered the clothing that she now wore and reminded herself to thank Uli and Ilia again. They had done their work well.

She now wore a white short sleeved shirt and simple tan pants. Though Uli had offered to make her a wrap and sash, she had declined for two reasons. First, so that there would be more material for the village, and second, because she felt she couldn't accept anything else for her clothing.

After she had received her new clothing, Ilia had gone off to do her chores and Zelda had asked Uli if there was anything she could do for her, which had led to her sending Zelda to go fetch water. Zelda had noticed Uli's discomfort at giving chores to a guest, but Zelda felt like she had to do something for her. If she didn't, it would be another sacrifice she didn't deserve.

Shaking the thought of her escape from her mind, Zelda focused on gathering water. Placing the pitcher where the mouth of the brook met the small lake, Zelda watched the town go through its small day-to-day life. Nothing had changed much, except now the women and children were doing the men's work as well as theirs.

She watched Pergie hoeing her family's garden while three children ran about the village, which meant that they had probably finished up whatever chores they had been given. There were two boys and a girl.

The girl was dressed in a white tank top with purple pants, pink wrap, and a white sash. Her hair was in a flip like style while a red hair clip kept her chestnut bangs away from her face. The bridge of her nose was peppered with freckles and her turquoise eyes were eyeing her playmates with a mixture of disdain and amusement.

The older of the two boys had mess of unkempt chocolate hair with a red bandana tied crookedly around it. His green eyes were full of mischief as he ran about in his outfit of white tank top, tan wrap, yellow sash, blue leggings, and a blue cloth that held an acorn insignia on it. While he ran, he swung a big stick as if it was a sword.

The younger boy looked as if he was related to the older with the same green eyes and chocolate hair. He looked to be about 3 to 4 years old, but his face threw Zelda off as the child seemed to be watching everything with such a serious look. He wore a white tank similar to the older boy's, a green wrap, an orange sash, and an orange leg-covering that looked akin to a skirt that was much too big for him as it trailed after him.

Zelda recognized the older two as older versions of Talo and Beth, but she didn't recognize the younger. She supposed it was Pergie and Jaggle's second son, Malo, but she wasn't sure. As she watched them play, she noticed Colin came trudging down, carrying a bucket, as he walked. He moved slowly, careful not to spill whatever was in the bucket.

Seeing his bucket reminded Zelda about the pitcher in her hand. Right, water for Uli… Zelda turned away from the three children, shaking the realization of the drastic amount of time she had missed in Ordon since the beginning of the war. However, she hadn't seen Aryll yet… which was very strange considering she always seemed to be at her brother's side.

Zelda came to a slow halt as she recognized the said Hylian male's figure coming down the hill. She noticed the expression on his face, or rather, lack thereof. It reminded her of Sheik. Surprise registered through her body. Link had never been one to hide what he was thinking or feeling. So why did he have such a face?

She contemplated going to talk to him to see if anything was wrong, but Ilia intercepted him first. While she was unable to hear what they were saying, she saw Ilia looking at Link with concern as she spoke, while he tried waving her off. Ilia was resolute though, and finally Link, to Zelda's shock, caressed her cheek before muttering something to her.

Quickly standing, Zelda clutched the pitcher to her as she began to retreat back to Uli's. Her throat felt thick as she walked and a malicious thought struck her. Why did this have to happen to her? Why couldn't Ilia have been in a prison camp for four years instead of her?

Zelda's eyes widened in shock as she realized what she had just envisioned. Nobody deserved that kind of punishment. Not even her captors would deserve that.

Besides, she didn't own Link, and they had just been friends. Nothing too close. Not to mention she was the only heir to the throne of Hyrule now and he… he was just a simple goatherd. Even if their friendship had blossomed into anything romantic, it never would've worked out. She knew that, but it didn't make the pain go away.

Something bumped into her and a loud splash caught her off guard and she looked up to see Link's eyes staring back into hers. What was he doing here? And why was his shirt sopping wet?

Looking down she saw that her pitcher, now with half its contents removed and dripping off Link, was the culprit for his state. She lost her grip on the pitcher and it fell as her hands rose to her mouth.

"I am so sorry!" Zelda said, as Link stared down at her, still expressionless. "I-I-I didn't… I mean, I wasn't… I am so sorry!"

Exhaling through his nose, Link bent down and picked up the pitcher, which had rolled to his feet. He placed it back in her hands as he said flatly, "Here." Then, before she could thank him, he turned and left, heading off out of the village.

Zelda watched him leave, stunned. What had happened? Link had never acted like that before as far as she knew. Startled by his new behavior, Zelda turned slowly back to the river and went back to collect water. After she had collected it, she quickly turned on her heel and ran back to Uli's house, though she was careful not to spill any of the water. But on her way there, she had a narrow miss as she nearly ran into Colin.

"Oh, Colin," she exhaled. "I'm sorry. I nearly knocked you over."

"It's okay," Colin answered, shyly. "Uh, Marin?"

"Yes?"

"Have you seen Link?"

Zelda nearly cringed as she remembered the way he had spoken to her before taking off. She answered, "He was leaving the village last I saw of him."

"Thank you." With that, Colin took off running down the path Link had taken.

Watching him, Zelda wondered if she had chosen the best course of action by telling Colin where Link had went. She wasn't sure what Link would do, but she hoped he wouldn't be upset with Colin. With those thoughts on her mind, she entered the house.

When she had entered the house, Uli noticed the concerned look on the girl's face. She asked, "Marin? What's wrong?"

Zelda didn't respond.

At this, Uli touched her shoulder. "Marin, are you all right?"

Jumping back to reality, Zelda spun on her heel to face a surprised Uli. "Ahh-huh? Oh… I'm sorry, Uli. I didn't hear you. What did you ask?"

"I asked you what's wrong. You seem awfully quiet and sad."

"Oh…" Zelda paused. "It's nothing really. I was just thinking about something."

"About what?"

"Oh… Just… Well…" Biting her lip, Zelda continued. "That Hylian boy, Link. I accidentally ran into him with your pitcher and he seemed… upset with me. Is what I did a big offense here?"

"Link was upset with you?" Uli asked.

"It seemed that way."

"Oh dear," Uli said. "I suppose that whatever Sera started reached Link. He probably was upset by that and was leaving the village to clear his head."

Zelda looked down at her feet. "Ah, I see…"

A hand touched her shoulder and Zelda looked up to see Uli smiling gently at her. "Don't worry about it, Marin. Link's a bit rough around the edges, but he is kind. He'll probably have forgotten the whole incident by tomorrow and after a little while he'll become used to you."

"I hope your right," Zelda murmured.

"Trust me, dear. It'll be okay."

Biting her lip, Zelda nodded slowly, before asking, "Ms. Uli? Is there anything else I can do to help you, ma'am?"

Uli shook her head. "No, Marin. I'm fine."

"Then, is it all right for me to go out and explore?"

Looking startled, Uli said, "Of course it is. I'm not your mother, Marin. You don't have to ask permission for everything, dear."

Flushing, Zelda nodded as nerves coursed through her. She knew she didn't have to, but still… It just made her feel better to have someone know where she was, though she wasn't sure why.

Slowly, she turned to the door and left the house. After that, she looked around, still trying to figure out what to do with her time. In the past four years, she had almost no freedom to do whatever she wanted. Being able to choose what she wanted to do felt almost odd. Shaking her head, she noticed Ilia looking off to where Link and Colin had both disappeared.

The first thing she noticed about Ilia was that she looked forlorn. It seemed as if she was torn between wanting follow Link and deciding not to. But the thing Zelda noticed the most in Ilia's face was the look of hurt that it possessed. It was as if she had been injured. Deciding to see what was wrong, Zelda approached.

"Ilia?"

Startled, Ilia turned to face Zelda. There were tears in her eyes. "Oh! Marin." Quickly, she wiped at her eyes as if to hide her tears from Zelda. "Hello…"

"Ilia… Is something wrong? You seem sad…"

"It's nothing, Marin. Don't worry about it."

"It doesn't look like nothing." When Ilia didn't respond, Zelda said, "You can tell me, Ilia."

Ilia was quiet as she thought. She then asked a question that caught Zelda off-guard. "Marin, when you were engaged… um… your husband didn't hide anything from you, did he?"

"Like what?"

"Oh… How he was feeling, maybe…?"

Zelda floundered for an answer by thinking of all the men she had known. Finally, she decided to use Sheik's personality. "Uh… Well, I'm sure he did, but it was probably to keep me from worrying about all the problems we were about to face… Why? Do you Link is hiding something from you?"

"Well, yes and no…"

Confused, Zelda asked, "What do you mean?"

"It's nothing really… It's just…" Ilia sighed. "I worry sometimes about our relationship."

"Why?"

"Well, Link's not really an open person and I know that… But, I feel like he's always giving an excuse to _not_ marry me." At Zelda's startled look, Ilia continued, "Originally, we were supposed to be married about two weeks ago, but Link keeps making excuses to put it off. And he's not romantic in the slightest towards me. I mean, sure he's affectionate, but it feels like he's keeping a boundary between us."

"Some men are like that, Ilia," Zelda said, slowly.

"It's not only that, Marin," Ilia interrupted. "He doesn't talk with me about important things that we need to deal with."

"Such as?"

"Princess Zelda for one." At that Zelda stiffened, but Ilia didn't notice. "As I told you before he was really close to her and when she left he was never the same. But whenever I or anyone else brings her up, he just closes up or gets upset. He even pushes me away when she's brought up," Ilia sighed. "I know I'm the second choice, but sometimes I wish he wouldn't hold on to her memory so much… It just hurts him and everyone around him."

Silence permeated the air as Zelda wasn't sure what to say. Watching Ilia, she felt guilt sink into her. All she could think of was awkwardly patting Ilia on the back, while murmuring, "I'm sorry."

"No," Ilia said. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have dumped all that on a complete stranger. But, I can't tell anyone else in the village and it felt nice to tell someone. Thank you, Marin." She sighed, but it was a happier sigh. "Well, I better get on with my chores. See you, Marin."

"See you," Zelda answered. She stood still for a moment, before walking to the stream's edge, sitting, and placing her feet in. As she did so, she whispered, "Link, what _are_ you doing to yourself?"

…

Link sighed as he sat at the shore of Ordona Spring. Running a hand through his hair, he stared at the dead spring, though his eyes had a far-away look that revealed his mind was somewhere else.

While he stared off at nothing, Link was thinking about his conversation with Fado earlier. His heart panged at the thought of Zelda, still missing her. Looking down, he frowned as if willing it to stop. It was too late now anyways. She had passed away and there was nothing that could be done.

At that moment, the grass rustled from behind him. Link's blue gaze furrowed, his messy blond hair resting against his head in the motionless wind. Another shuffling sound. The rustling came closer before transferring to the sounds of crushing sands.

A small breath of air.

It was only a few feet away now. Link's arm shifted behind him slightly, his gaze kept carefully forward, betraying nothing, until the vital moment came:

"Hi, Colin."

Colin slowly approached Link, looking hesitant and shy, though he gave a gentle smile. "Hi, Link." After giving short pause, he asked, "What are you doing?"

"Thinking." He turned to Colin, patting the sand on the left next to him. "You wanna join me?"

Nodding, Colin scrambled to plop next down to Link. As he did so, he looked at Link for a long while. Finally, he asked, "Link? Do you mind if I ask you a question?"

A rare smile touched Link's face. "Of course, Colin. You can ask me anything."

"Okay…" Colin looked down, a thoughtful look crossing his face. Finally, he looked up and asked, "Link, you remember Zelda right?" At Link's startled look, Colin continued, "Sorry. It's just… on my way here, I heard Beth saying that her mom said that Marin looks like Zelda. Is that true?"

Link's voice had a touch of tightness as he asked, "Don't you remember, Colin?"

"Kinda… I remember playing with her a lot and that she was really kind, but I can't really remember what she looked like."

As Link listened, his mouth tightened, as if reigning in a frown. His blue eyes darkened but he gave no other signals of what he was feeling.

Colin asked timidly, "Are they right, Link? Does Marin really look like Zelda?"

After what seemed to be an eternity, Link answered, "I'm sorry, Colin. I just don't know."

"Why not?" Colin asked, slowly.

"I… I just don't, Colin."

Nodding slowly, Colin looked at the Spring, watching it with a serious look. He and Link sat there for a while in silence, both in a reverent sort of silence. It was a long while before Colin turned to Link with another question on his face. "Link?"

"Hm?"

"When do you think that the war will be over?"

"I can't say, Colin." He turned and ruffled Colin's hair. "But while you wait, how about you pass the time by going to help your mother? She's probably looking for you right now."

Smiling, Colin answered, "Okay. Are you going to come back with me?"

"No. I think I'm going to spend a few more minutes out here, Colin."

"Okay." There was the sound of footsteps as Colin left to return back to the village. Then, silence.

Closing his eyes, Link let his mind wander off. While it did so, he suddenly grunted in pain. Giving himself a little shake, he kept his eyes closed before he shuddered. Opening his eyes, he stood, deciding to go back to Ordon. But before he did that, he checked around for any monsters. Finding nothing, he turned and headed back to Ordon.

...

A lone Gerudo guard stood in an ornate hallway that was the entrance to the throne room of Hyrule Castle. Under normal circumstances, she would have been appraising everything in the hall with her golden eyes, trying to figure what each object there was worth, but at the moment, she radiated fear.

Inwardly, she cursed her luck. Of course, it was _she_ who would have to inform Lord Ganondorf that two nights ago, Princess Zelda and her faithful Sheikah bodyguard had escaped the most secure prison camp created. Knowing already how he would react made the job less appealing than cleaning horse dung from the stables with her bare hands. Shuddering, she waited in the hallway, wondering just how much longer she had left to live. She didn't have to wonder for long, for at that moment, the Twinrova sisters, Kotake and Koume, opened the doors to the hallway.

Both were old and tanned, with deep wrinkles and white hair that proved their age. Their eyes bulged from their sockets in a way that made most people's hair stand on end, especially when they looked down over their overly large beaked noses. They both wore robes of black with white designs. In fact, the only differences were the gems on their head. Kotake wore a cool ice-blue gem, while Koume wore a bright flame-red gem. These two were Ganondorf's most trusted advisors, not to mention his surrogate mothers.

When they had finished opening the door, both women croaked, "Lord Ganondorf will see you now…"

Gulping, the Gerudo walked into the room. It had changed drastically from when Ganondorf had first claimed it. The room was less well-lit and a blood red carpet now lay on the once bare porcelain tile. The statue of the Great Three surrounding a Triforce above the thrones had been broken so that only Din's head remained intact, while Nayru and Farore had been beheaded. But the most drastic change was that were there had been three golden thrones for the royal family, there was now only one black, high-backed throne that looked as if it had been made out of obsidian.

In that throne sat a Gerudo man with a dark tan, flame orange hair, and golden eyes. His eyes emanated an evil and cruel sort of pleasure from within. He wore black armor complete with a black cape that possessed the same white design the Twinrova sisters' robes held. A golden headpiece with a gem yellow as the sun served as his crown. It was obvious that this man was Lord Ganondorf. His posture was at ease as he lounged about in his throne and the fact that he was smirking showed that he seemed to be in a pleasant mood for Ganondorf. Seeing this caused the Gerudo guard to thank her lucky stars that she had caught him in a better mood than most of those who had to bear bad news.

Slowly, she entered the room and approached the throne. As she had entered the room, the doors closed behind her with such a slam of finality, making her uneasy as the Twinrova returned to their posts on either side of their king. While she walked, she tried to figure out how to explain to Lord Ganondorf how exactly Princess Zelda had made her escape without angering him, but sadly, no thoughts came to mind.

When she reached the throne, she knelt down on one knee, bowing her head, and placing a fist to the ground. She murmured, "Lord Ganondorf."

Ganondorf nodded. "Rise." After she did, he said, "Now, speak."

Swallowing, the woman spoke rather uneasily. "You may have heard a rumor, my lord, that, two nights ago, there was a riot at your most secure prison camp and some of the prisoners escaped."

"I did," Ganondorf answered. "I trust that you have come to assure me that these rumors are false."

Ducking her head, the Gerudo admitted, "I am sorry, my lord, but the rumors are true. The prisoners created the riot to distract us from noticing those who escaped."

Ganondorf's posture changed instantly. He straightened in his chair and looked severely at the woman before him. His voice was dark as he asked, "Who was it that escaped?"

"My lord, please understand that in all the chaos and commotion, we couldn't-!"

"You didn't answer my question," Ganondorf interrupted, his tone becoming even darker. "Who was it that escaped?"

"Four people, Lord Ganondorf."

"Who?"

"A couple. Kafei Dotour and his wife, Anju."

"Who else?"

"Well…" The Gerudo faltered.

"I said, who else?" Ganondorf repeated. When she didn't answer, he snapped, "Answer me! Who else escaped from that prison camp?!"

"Princess Z-Zelda and her bodyguard, Sheik, my lord…"

All was silent for a few moments until…

"_WHAT_?!" Ganondorf rose from his throne and came over to the woman, picking her up the throat. "You mean to tell me that you let _Princess Zelda_, the _only_ survivor of the royal family of Hyrule and the _one _prisoner who could lead an uprising of against me _**escape**_?!"

"My lord," the woman gasped. "We didn't _let_ her escape, it just-"

"SILENCE!" Ganondorf thundered, squeezing her windpipe. "Do you realize what this means?! Do you?! If word gets out that Princess Zelda has escaped and is _alive_, my future plans are ruined!"

"Please…. My lord…" the Gerudo whimpered. "I can't… I can't breathe… I had… more information."

Ganondorf glared at the woman, before dropping her on the floor. She knelt on her hands and knees as she gasped and coughed, all the while massaging her throat. When she had caught her breath, he said, "Do you have any idea where she is?"

"No, sir."

"Then your information is useless to me."

Koume spoke, "However, it may prove useful to me and my sister. Continue, young lady."

"Yes, ma'am. We received word from the Bulblins that some of their numbers nearly caught the Sheikah, but the Princess was not with him. They also said that they manage to knock him out, however… according to them… he… he somehow managed to escape though, my lord."

"While he was unconscious?"

"That's what they said, Lord Ganondorf, sir."

Fuming, Ganondorf spat, "Very well. Get out of my sight!"

The woman was all too happy to obey that order. She hurried out of the room all too quickly, before Ganondorf could change his mind and decide to strangle her again or worse.

Rubbing his temples, Ganondorf turned back to his throne and practically fell in. Sighing, he frowned at the new wrinkle in his plan.

"Lord Ganondorf," Kotake said in a creaky voice. "If I may…" He looked at her and nodded, so she continued, "This may not be a problem, _yet_."

Looking intrigued, Ganondorf said, "Continue."

"The young lady informed us that her Highness is separated from her Sheikah bodyguard. My guess is that the Sheikah hid her away and led them off, but not before telling her to flee for her life."

"Ah, I see where you're going with this, Kotake!" Koume said. She looked to Ganondorf and said, "If what Kotake infers is correct, than it means that precious little princess is vulnerable and easy to capture if we find her."

Ganondorf nodded, "I see."

"But!" Kotake piped up. "That may prove difficult. After all, she knows that we are after her, and she has a bit of a head start on us. Either she's heading for the rebel's base town or she's found someplace to stay until her Sheikah bodyguard comes and finds her. Knowing her, it's probably the latter."

"Well," Ganondorf said. "What do you suggest I do?"

"Nothing for now," Kotake said. "Just have the guards keep their eyes and ears open. Should anything suspicious turn up, have them report to you and then investigate the place. Sooner or later, Princess Zelda is bound to turn up."

"I understand." Ganondorf answered. "Now, I have something I'd like you two to do for me."

"And what would that be?" Koume asked.

"I want you to inform all of the guards who were guarding that camp that they are going to be the ones searching for the princess and her bodyguard. If they do not find either of them, they all will be punished for their incompetence. Is that clear?"

Both women cackled, "Of course, Lord Ganondorf. We'll leave at once." When they held out their hands, brooms materialized out of thin air. They quickly mounted and flew off to go and deliver the message, leaving Ganondorf all alone.

As he sat, Ganondorf said, "You can run, your Highness, but trust me when I say this. You and your little Sheikah friend will never be able to hide from me."

…

Red eyes opened to see a blur of brown ahead. Trying to clear his vision, Sheik blinked, moaning as he felt his head begin to ache. When his vision cleared, he realized he was looking at a ceiling and soon after, he recognized he was lying in a bed. Surprise flooded through him as he began to remember what had happened after he had thrown Zelda into the river.

_Splashing and flailing reached Sheik's ears, even over the defeaning call of the Bulblins. He cringed slightly as he forced his horse to turn and press onward. Even with the knowledge that his Princess couldn't swim… It was the only way he could hope to protect her from the hoard that was pursuing him now. He could only hope that the Three would be watching over her._

_ He pressed into the grey horse's side as the cries grew louder. As he had predicted, the Bulblins hadn't thought to check on what had gone into the river, instead following him. The horse snorted, resisting the Sheikah's urges as fatigue screamed at its muscles. An arrow whizzed by, striking a nearby stone. The horse, spooked, reared on its hind legs before bolting away from river, the only safe haven in the world of flames._

_ The Bulblins shrieked in their incomprehensible language, infuriated by the speed of their prey._

_ His pointed ears perked as Sheik heard the sound of wood on wood. They were loading an arrow. Sheik grabbed the horse's mane and yanked it to their left. The horse obeyed and bolted again when another arrow whizzed past its right ear. _

_ Sheik couldn't have asked for a better steed. The animal's tail and mane whipped madly as it darted about the field, jumping over fallen logs and streaking around boulders. However, it still wasn't enough to lose their pursuers._

_ Sheikah eyes darted around the flaming sea, seeking a route of escape, or, at the least, a way to lead them even further off course. Finding a grouping of trees, whose flames were rising by the second, Sheik shifted his body so the horse would go as well._

_ He pressed low against the horse, its fur matting against its body in the stifling heat, as he avoided a flaming branch just over his head. Sheik turned his head, gaze turning from one of hope to triumph as a Bulblin was knocked from its ride, the force also causing the branch to drop._

_ However, his glory was short lived as he felt his horse suddenly stumble. His hair seemed to be suspended in air as gravity took its hold._

_ They were falling._

_ He whipped his gaze back to the front just as the horse's front hooves made contact with the earth beneath them. It stumbled again, but pressed forward, nearly unseating its riding. The cover over Sheik's face slipped. Coughing, he grabbed the piece of cloth and shoved it back over his nose, desperate for clean air._

_ Crashing reached Sheik's ears as a few unfortunate Bulblins ran off the edge. The Bullbos slammed into the ground. Sounds of grunting pain and shrieks were short lived as a quick snap followed, silencing the creature forever._

_ Sheik smiled at the unexpected help and turned his horse triumphantly down another pathway. Through the heat, Sheik didn't notice the creaking and cracking nearby. The horse suddenly reared, shrieking in alarm as a large, burning tree fell in its path._

_ A wall of burning smoke seared Sheik's eyes, nearly blinding him except for the shield that was rearing before him._

_ Scrambling to stay on, Sheik grasped at the horse's mane. His muscles screamed at him for oxygen, but he hung tight. As soon as its hooves hit the ground, he yanked its mane to face in the other direction. They needed to back track quickly if they were going to keep ahead of the Bulblins. _

_ But it was already too late._

_ The shrieking came to a sudden stop as an arrow struck through the creature's throat. It toppled to the ground, taking Sheik with it. The red-eyed male tried to dislodge himself. But to no avail. Sheik grunted as he and the horse came down, crushing his left leg between the dead steed and the blackened earth._

_ He kicked the horse away from himself and quickly assumed a fighting stance. The Bulblins circled him, the Bullbos panting from exhaustion and want for air. _

_ Sheik glared at the creatures around him, daring them to come closer, and searching for an escape._

_ The first Bullbos charged, Sheik moved into a position to leap over the creature's head and snap its riders' necks. However, his left leg shook with the sudden onset of weight. Sheik grunted and quickly threw himself to the side, the creature barely missing him._

_ The animal crashed into the burning tree, throwing its riders into the inferno. _

_ Sheik quickly rose to his feet. Though he was breathing hard and it was painful, he took another fighting stance. Shrieking in fury, the Bulblins quickly dismounting from their own rides, turned to him and raised their clubs high, shaking them before charging._

_ Sheik dropped to the ground in a crouch before knocking his opponents off their feet with the good old-fashioned "leg-swipe". Arms flailed and weapons flew up in the air while each Bulblin teetered and then fell on its hindquarters. Standing up, Sheik took a battle position, prepared for whatever their next move was. _

_ The Bulblins rose to their feet and roared in anger. They charged again, but instead of knocking them off their feet, Sheik charged them as well. As he ran among the enemy, he began striking pressure points that Impa had taught him as a child. With each strike, another Bulblin fell._

_ He coughed heavily, his eyes stinging so fiercly that his vision was beginning to fail him. A cry sounded from behind him and Sheik quickly turned to disarm the monster. Taking its club, Sheik turned grimly to face the rest of the mob. He closed his eyes and gave a low, shaking breath. _

_ There was no way he would get out of this one._

_ A Bulblin came close and Sheik struck out with his newly acquired weapon, bashing the creature on the side of the side and sending it spiraling to the side._

_ This went on for several minutes, Sheik relying solely on adrenaline to keep him running. The fire around them grew, surrounding them in layers and layers of flame. _

_ With each enemy that fell, there seemed to be ten more lying in wait to attack. Sheik panted, his brow perspiring and his limbs growing heavier and heavier with the oxygen lacking air around them. He coughed, spinning around desperately in circles as a Bulblin nearby disarmed him. His balance thrown, Sheik staggered, falling with one knee to the ground. He forced himself to stand as he heard the enemy closing in on him._

_ As the enemy surrounded him, something slammed into the back of his head, causing his world to go black._

A voice broke him from his reverie. "I am glad to see you are awake."

Sheik's eyes quickly landed on a woman standing in the corner off the room he was in. She had short, silver hair which she kept in a ponytail and red eyes like his. Silver markings were underneath her eyes which stood out with her lightly tanned skin. She wore blue and silver form-fitting body armor with the Sheikah symbol emblazoned on it. Sheik instantly recognized her.

"Impa." Though she was his mother, Sheik had never called her anything but Impa after the age of five. "You're alive…?"

"Hello, Sheik," Impa answered, looking softly at her battered son.

"Impa, what-? Why are you-? Where am I? Princess Zelda! Where is she!?"

Impa raised a hand, signaling Sheik to become quiet. "You are in the Hidden Village. As for the Princess… I did not find her. Sheik, do you know where she is?"

Sheik closed his eyes and looked down.

"What happened, Sheik?"

"We were escaping Ganondorf's Prison Camp when we were spotted by Bulblins. They pursued us and set the field on fire, so I decided to separate from her and lead them away so the Princess could escape…" He looked away. "Forgive me. I failed in my mission to keep her safe."

"Sheik, you have not failed yet," Impa said, reproachfully. "It's true that you did leave her alone, but to help her escape capture. If the Great Three are on our side, she is not in the enemy's hands. Until she is in the enemy's possession, you have kept her safe." She walked over to the bed and placed her right hand over Sheik's eyes, causing him to lie down. "Now, rest and heal, my son. You have done your job. I will go and search for her." When Sheik's eyes closed, she turned to leave, but not before his voice called out to her.

"Impa?"

"What is it?"

"What happened after I blacked out? And how is it that you are alive? I mean, when the Princess and I last saw you…"

"Later, Sheik. Rest and I will tell you what happened. But for now, let your body heal." Impa turned and headed out the door, a small smile touching her face as she heard Sheik relax back into sleeping. Looking out to the entrance of the Hidden Village, she murmured, "Oh, Zelda. I pray that you are safe." With that, she disappeared.

* * *

Ending Comments: So? What do you think? We finally got a look into the villain's mind! Hee hee! And we know what happened with Sheik! ^-^ Please leave a review!


	7. Chapter 6

MangaMaid's Notes: I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. Okay, before you yell at me, hear me out. One, I do have a life. A life that is demanding and eats up my time, not to mention people who have me do things that eat up my time as well. Not to mention, I have a job with awful hours (Honestly, I'm constantly switching between late nights and early mornings... Not fun...) and I have some personal problems that are affecting my life. Anyways, moving on. Two, this story takes a lot of research and a lot of time and when I say a lot, I mean **A LOT**. This piece is probably my one of my 'darkest' pieces in the fact that this is war-torn and defeated Hyrule which is quite a bit different from what we see in Zelda games. Anyways, because of that, I've spent several hours of research for this and not just by playing Zelda games. I've also been reading up on world history for ideas. Yeah... not fun stuff there. I also look up things like war games, particularly Hyrule: Total War for this piece to see how warfare would work in Hyrule and to figure what I'm going to do later. Yes, there are going to be battles in this, but I don't think I'm really giving away stuff here since, you know, it's set in Ganondorf-controlled Hyrule. So yeah... My life in a nutshell.

Still trying to get that list. Thank you to all those who did review, favorite, etc., etc. Anyways. On with the chapter!

* * *

Chapter 6

A large snarl rang throughout the halls of Hyrule Castle followed by the sound of breaking china coming from the throne room. Within it, another Gerudo cowered in the corner as she watched her king seethe with fury at the news he had just received from her.

"Do you mean to tell me," Ganondorf growled, "that for these past three months, you've searched Hyrule and you still can't find a helpless, little princess?!"

"I'm sorry, sire," the Gerudo whispered. "But it's true. There's no sign of her."

Ganondorf sat in his throne, irritation on his face as he rubbed his mouth, thinking. "Very well." He looked at the Twinrova. "You two, find those imbeciles who let her escape. Inform them that they will be punished."

Both women nodded, gleeful at the prospect of inflicting pain. "Of course, Lord Ganondorf." In a flash, both had transformed into little wisps of flame and ice before they both disappeared.

"Lord Ganondorf?" the Gerudo whispered, lifting her head.

He turned a glare on her. "What?"

"Well, it might be possible she is… dead?" A soft trickle of hope leaked into her voice.

A cruel smile crossed his lips and his tone became mocking. "Yes… it might be possible. But, if it were so, why haven't you found her corpse?" He stalked over to the woman, who returned to cowering away in her corner, crouched next to her, and placed a hand on her shoulder, causing her to flinch. "Unless…"

"Unless what?"

"Unless, of course, she died the way you did…"

"What do you-?" The Gerudo's words were cut off by sudden screams as dark fire began to engulf her body. She stared at him, betrayal and pain evident in her eyes until her eyes were no more. In a matter of moments, all that was left was a small pile of black ash.

Ganondorf closed his eyes and exhaled before standing up and making his way back to his throne. Slumping in his chair, he rubbed his temples, trying to relieve himself of the headache he had now.

"You really shouldn't have done that." A voice called.

The Gerudo King looked up to see a young Gerudo woman walking into the room. Her flaming red hair swayed as it cascaded from a hair clip inlaid with a topaz that held it in a high ponytail. She wore a red Gerudo's uniform that consisted of harem pants and a strapless bra while dark red shoes covered her feet. Gold armor covered her shins and forearms while on her left bicep rested a obsidian bracelet. A smirk graced her pale pink mouth while her golden eyes glinted with dark humor in them.

"Not now, Aveil…" Ganondorf murmured.

Mock pouting, Aveil said, "Ah, Lord Ganondorf, I'm hurt. I bring you good news and you don't want to hear it?"

"If it's has nothing to do with finding Princess Zelda, then no, I don't want to hear it."

"Forgive my bluntness, sire, but I'm pretty sure you do."

Ganondorf waved his hand apathetically, staring at a window. "What is it?"

"There have been rumors of a lone Gerudo haunting the path to Castle Town whose been raiding our caravans."

Aveil smirked as her king's eyes focused back to her, his attention gained. "Nabooru?" he asked.

"Most likely, Your Majesty."

Something flashed in Ganondorf's eyes, but it was too quick for Aveil to tell what it was. He then said, "Very well. I shall think on what to do about this. In the meantime, keep searching for that Princess."

Aveil bowed low. "Of course, Lord Ganondorf." With that, she straightened, turned, and left the room.

Looking forward, the Gerudo King glared. "Soon. Very soon, Princess. I will find you and you will be mine!"

In Ordon…

Zelda's eyes shot open as a brisk gust of wind blew over her, causing her to shiver in her blankets. Pulling the flimsy, patched pieces of cloth to her, she closed her eyes and wished for sleep to return. However, sleep would not be able to come, for at that moment, a warm hand touched her shoulder.

"Marin," Uli called, softly. "Marin, wake up."

Slowly, Zelda opened her eyes and let out a gargled reply. "Uli? Wha-?"

"I'm sorry to wake you, Marin," Uli said, softly. "But could you please go get some Cucco eggs for me? I'm afraid I've run out."

Nodding, Zelda pushed down the covers and sat up. She rubbed her eyes before grabbing her clothes and going behind the screen to change. After she had dressed, Uli came up to her with a large basket in hand. Her face was apologetic.

"I'm so sorry I have to make you do this, Marin."

"It's okay, Uli," Zelda murmured, still partly asleep as she pulled on her thick cloak. "I understand." Before Uli could apologize again, Zelda turned away, opened the door, and left.

As she stepped out, a sharp bite of cold gnawed at Zelda's skin, rousing her into alertness. Blinking, she looked out to see the little town of Ordon sparkling in the sunlight and painted paler by a frost. The first since fall had come.

Zelda gritted her teeth and stepped out into the icy grass, wishing for shoes to cover her toes. She had been aware that the frost was coming, but hadn't thought better of it yet. Shivering, she forced herself to focus on other things besides the icy cold that was numbing her toes.

It had been three months since she had been brought to Ordon. In those months, Zelda's gaunt appearance had filled out, making her look more herself rather than a corpse. She had also become quite integrated into Ordon's daily life, becoming a helper to Uli as the pregnancy progressed. There were only about a couple of weeks left at maximum until the baby was to be born and as such, Zelda, or rather 'Marin', had become someone who Uli could depend on to help with chores that Uli couldn't perform anymore.

The town had opened up to her, little by little, starting with the children. Colin had been the first, but Beth had quickly opened up to her after, glad to have another woman who could listen to her troubles. Soon, Talo and Malo had joined in and after gaining the trust of the children, mostly everyone had accepted her into Ordon. However, Link seemed more and more wary of her and she still hadn't seen Aryll, making her wonder if Link had evacuated Aryll from Ordon.

Zelda snapped back to reality, knowing that it was going to be a long day. Cucco eggs were a pain to collect as Cuccos laid them willy-nilly. They laid them in the fields, in trees, behind houses, and even on _top_ of houses. Also, if a Cucco caught a person trying to steal their eggs, it would attack. The frost wasn't going to help that as Cuccos always had to keep their eggs warm. So, while Zelda would be able to find the eggs, it would be getting them from the Cucco that would be the hassle.

As she walked about, Zelda shivered as she looked. Finally, she noticed a Cucco sitting next to the waterwheel. Slowly, she crept over to it, hoping not to be noticed. As she approached, the Cucco turned to look at her, its golden eye assessing her. Taking another step, the Cucco squawked in warning. Zelda moved very slowly, only to have the Cucco squawk loudly.

At that she looked around see a small mass of Cuccos surrounding her, all angry. She dropped the basket and ran the opposite way, the Cuccos in hot pursuit. As she ran, her feet began to sting from the cold that touched her bare feet with each step. Unfortunately, she tripped, rolling onto her back and allowing the Cuccos to catch up to her and begin pecking at her.

Zelda covered her face and neck as sharp beaks and claws began to rain down on her in stinging drops of pain. She bit her lip, hoping that they would soon lose interest before her skin or her shirt was damaged badly. Curling up, she tried to shake the Cuccos off, but to no avail. She began to bleed as the claws and the beaks nicked her skin.

A gruff voice came out of nowhere. "Come on! Get out of here! Shoo!" When the Cuccos paid no heed, a sharp thwack sounded and one of the Cuccos sailed through the air, its destination unknown. With that, the others quickly scattered as the voice shooed them away from Zelda.

When they were gone, Zelda slowly removed her injured hands away from her face, peering up to see who had saved her. Link's exhausted blue eyes looked down at her. He was obviously tired as he asked, his eyelids drooping, "You okay?"

Zelda nodded, "I'm all right Link."

"Good…" Link murmured, his eyes nearly closing. His eyes then snapped open, before drooping again. Slowly, his knees buckled and he fell onto the ground, unconscious.

It would've been an understatement to say Zelda panicked.

"Link! Are you all right?! Are you hurt?!" After seeing no visible wounds, she placed an ear to his mouth, hearing the slow breath of sleep. A relieved look crept onto her face. "Oh..." She looked around, trying to figure out how she was going to move him out of the snow.

Link groaned slowly, before shivering slightly as he slept. Quickly, Zelda took off her cloak, putting it over Link. As the cold nipped her skin, she rubbed her arms, looking around for help. At that moment, Pergie stepped out of her house, getting ready to start her chores.

"Pergie!" Zelda cried, garnering her attention. "I need help!"

Pergie strode over to see Link unconscious on the ground and Zelda covered in nicks and scratches. "Marin?" she said, looking concerned. "Good heavens, what happened?"

"I got attacked by Cuccos and Link helped me. Then, he just passed out…"

Concern crossed Pergie's face as she knelt next to Link. "He likes to stay up late and sleep in the morning, but passing out? We should get him to Uli." Quickly, she lifted the boy over her shoulders as if he was a sack of flour. She strode to Uli's house, Zelda quickly following behind her, the Cucco egg lying forgotten in the snow.

When they reached Uli's house, Pergie rapped on the door before adjusting Link into a more comfortable position for her to carry him. Zelda bit her lip as she looked at him. He looked very pale and exhaustion seeped from him. At that moment, Uli's door opened.

"Marin, are you back alread- Oh my!" Uli's hand rose to cover her mouth as she saw Pergie carrying Link and the grim looks upon both Pergie and Zelda's faces. She stepped back, ushering the women in. "Set him on the couch." After Pergie had done so, Uli quickly checked him over and touched his forehead. She then looked at the two women. "What happened?"

Zelda spoke, "Link passed out after saving me from a Cucco attack… Is he going to be all right?"

Uli turned to her, a soft smile on her face. "He should be fine, Marin. From what I can tell, he's just overworked himself again."

Zelda breathed a sigh of relief and Pergie cleared her throat. "Well, if that's all it is, I'm going to get started on my workload. See you later, Uli. Marin." With that, she turned and left the cottage.

After she left, Zelda said, "I should probably go get the eggs now."

"Actually, Marin," Uli said, a worried look crossing her face. "It's probably best if you stay inside. The Cuccos need a little time for them to forget you were trying to steal their eggs."

Zelda nodded. "Do you need anything else done then?"

"Mmm…" Uli shook her head. "I don't believe so… Wait…" She paused before asking, "Could you watch Link for me? I'm running low on lantern oil and I need to go see if Sera's has any."

"I could go get it for you," Zelda offered.

"No, no… I want to stretch my legs for a little bit and it's not as if a little frost is going to hurt me and the baby." Uli walked to the door before turning back. "Oh, and Marin? If Link wakes up and tries to sit up or move around, don't let him. Every time he's done this, he's run a fever, like now, and that cold air won't be good for him. Anyways, if you need anything or if Colin wakes up, I'm at Sera's." She smiled and then left quietly, closing the door behind her.

Zelda looked at Link before placing a hand on his head. Automatically, she removed it from how warm his skin was. There were even little drops on sweat forming on his brow. With a gentle hand, Zelda brushed them aside. "Link…" she murmured as she began to move the bangs out of his face. "Why do you do this? At this rate, you're going to kill yourself…I…"

She sighed, "I don't claim to know exactly what happened, but… if this is some form of misplaced guilt because I got kidnapped…. Well, not exactly kidnapped… I wonder if Rusl ever told you that Sheik and Impa were the ones who took me…" A small chuckle escaped. "I doubt it… You would've come, sword drawn, and ripped them both to shreds. Aryll wouldn't have liked that…

"Where is she anyway? I mean, did you send her with the Kokiri? Or did you move her somewhere else? I wish she was here. Then maybe you'd be yourself and I could tell you I'm Zelda. You must hate me now anyways… I miss the old days, you know. The days we'd go around playing Knights and Princesses… Bah, if only we'd known, huh? I'm a little surprised though, what with you ma…" Her throat closed around the word. Finally, she forced out, "You and Ilia… It's funny… You promised me that you'd marry someone who you loved… and I thought you _hated_ Ilia. But I guess love changes with time, right?"

She paused. "I know I should be happy for you… I _know _that. But… every time I see you two together… I just feel _angry_. Angry at Impa and Sheik for taking me away before I could tell you how I felt, angry at Rusl for keeping you here, angry at myself for being stuck in a prison camp for four years, angry at Ilia for having the _gall _to take you and-" She cut herself off. "I know I don't have any right to say that… I mean, you have a right to choose who you marry, but… I…When I gave you that silly locket, you know the one, although you probably threw it away… Well… I had hoped… That is to say… Maybe… you would've… we could've…"

A loud shout caused Zelda to immediately remove her hand from Link's forehead. "MARIN!" Suddenly, the door flew open to reveal Sera, her face bright red as she gasped for breath.

Zelda turned to look at Sera. "Sera? What's wrong?"

"Uli's water broke! The baby's coming!" Sera screeched. "We need Link's help!"

Suddenly a nervous voice came from the corner. "Is my mom okay?!"

Both women turned to see the young boy. "Oh, Colin!" Sera said, looking surprised and a little nervous. "How long have you been awake?"

"What's going on?! Is my mom okay?!"

Zelda strode over to Colin and knelt next to him. "She'll be fine, Colin… Your baby sibling has just decided that now's a good time to come. But you need to be calm. All right?"

"But… But, my mom…"

"Colin." Link's voice cut through the tension, both relieving and startling Zelda. She spun to see Link slowly getting up off the couch. How much had he heard? Had he been awake this whole time? Pulling herself from her thoughts, she watched as Link stood up and came over to kneel next to her, all the while looking at Colin. "Marin's right. Your mom will be fine. But she needs you to be strong for her. Can I ask you to do that?"

Colin looked down, worry on his face while he made his decision. Finally, he looked up, mouth set and eyes determined, before he nodded.

Link ruffled Colin's hair before turning to Sera. "Sera, can you bring Uli here?" After a quick nod and rushing out the door on Sera's part, he turned back to Colin. "Colin, you're going to have to wait outside okay?"

After a nod, Colin walked out and Link looked at Zelda. "Why don't you go out and be with Colin?"

"Link," Zelda said, serious. She knew that Uli was the village's 'official' midwife and when Colin had been born, Impa had taken over. She wasn't sure if Link knew how to deliver a baby, so she asked, "Have you ever delivered a baby?"

"I've helped the doe goats with their kidding. It shouldn't be too different."

As a child, she had watched several goat births, but she had seen and helped to deliver at several of the rare births that occurred in the prison camp, two at which the women and their babies had died. A humorless laugh escaped Zelda. "You have no idea…"

Link raised an eyebrow. "Are you telling me that you've midwifed before?"

"Several times." At Link's skeptical look, Zelda turned to him. "What?"

"That seems like a strange occupation for you. From what I understand, your father was a merchant was he not?"

Inwardly, Zelda cringed. She remembered that was one of the lies she had told. After telling the women that her father had not approved of the marriage of her and her husband, she had later been asked why. Her explanation was that her father was a merchant and her husband was too poor for him. Slowly, she answered, "Yes…"

"Then why-?"

But before Link could finish, the door flew open to reveal Ilia and Pergie helping Uli walk in, while Sera flitted nervously behind them. Uli's face was contorted into pain, but she looked okay. Quickly, they moved Uli to the bed and helped her get settled before moving away. Pergie left to go get water, rags, and blankets from her home, but Ilia and Sera stayed.

Sera was babbling, "Link, I'm so worried. She kept whispering for Rusl. What if she's sick? What if something goes wrong? What are we going to do?" While she babbled on, Ilia looked paler than snow while Link's face turned grim before he looked at Uli.

Zelda clapped her hands to get everyone's attention. "Okay. Everyone listen. I've helped deliver several babies before. First, Sera, if you can't stop this, go outside until you're calm and then go help Pergie gather supplies. You're not helping by bringing up what ifs." After Sera left, she looked to Ilia. "Ilia, you look very pale, so I think you should go keep company with Colin and the other children. Can you do that?"

Ilia nodded. "Yes…" Within moments, she was gone.

Turning to Link, Zelda said, "I'm going to need your help." She led him over to where Uli was. Uli had her eyes closed, so Zelda gently touched Uli's shoulder. When Uli looked at her, she said, "Uli, how are you feeling?"

"Marin…" Uli said, her voice strained, yet somehow calm. "I think I'm okay."

"That's good. Now, it's going to be okay. Link and I are here to help. Pergie's out getting supplies and this baby is going to be fine. Okay?"

Uli's nodded and then took Link's hand. At that, Link began to talk in quiet tones to her while Zelda waited for Pergie to get back. She sighed and closed her eyes, preparing herself for the long day ahead of them.

…

It wasn't until an hour before sunset that Ordon heard the lusty cries of Uli's new baby daughter. After a few more minutes, Zelda came out, exhausted with her arms covered in the mess that the birth had produced and carrying a clean rag on her shoulder, but cheerful. As Colin ran up to her, he took her in and worry crossed his face.

A soft smile crossed her face. "It's okay Colin. Your mom and baby sister are both very healthy. You can go and see them. Link's with them too."

Colin smiled back at her before running in. Zelda watched as Ilia walked up to her, Sera and Pergie, who Zelda had sent out earlier in the day, following with their children. "Is everything okay?"

"Yes. Uli and her baby girl are just fine. You should be able to visit in a little while. Now, I need to go and wash up." She walked away from the three women, who had begun talking to each other excitedly, and went to the edge of the deeper water.

After she dipped the rag in the water, she began to scrub at her left arm, cleaning it up. As she did so, she lightly hummed to herself the lullaby Link had made for her all those years ago, as it helped her to relax. However, when she finished and looked at her right arm, a frown crossed her face. In all the excitement that had been going on, she had forgotten to remove her bandages, which were now filthy and stained.

A sad sigh escaped her and she slowly unraveled her bandages. The angry red of _Hy. F. GC. 0001_ stared up at her and she wished as she began to scrub that she could scrub it away as well. But as she hummed and washed away the mess on her arm, the red letters just seemed to get brighter.

Finally, Zelda moved to the bandages, but after several minutes of hard washing, it was apparent that they were beyond saving. She hadn't checked their condition regularly, but they were fraying and coming apart now as well as being filthy. It would be a fool's errand to try and save them. Sighing once again, Zelda gathered the bandages up before standing.

"Hey."

Zelda gasped and dropped the bandages, hiding her right forearm and spinning around to see who had spoken. There stood Link, looking at her. "Oh… Link!" She looked down at her feet. "I didn't see you there. Is everything okay?"

A contemplative look was on Link's face. After a pause, he said, "Thank you for all you did today. I know you really helped Uli remain calm."

"Oh… It was nothing, really." Kneeling down, Zelda gathered up the bandages and then smiled at the Hylian man. "Now, if you will excuse me…" She walked past him to go find a place to dispose of her bandages.

He began walking with her, keeping her pace with ease. "Still, I wonder… Why would a merchant's daughter have such a skill as midwifery?"

"Oh… Uhm…" Zelda stopped, biting her lip, knowing that wouldn't be an easy thing to answer. Many merchants didn't like having their daughters work, instead preparing them for marriage. Still, she hadn't thought anyone _would_ actually question her on it.

"Not to mention, there aren't many merchants in the Great Bay area…" At this, Link gave her an amused look. "But then again, perhaps your father lives there because there isn't as much competition. Am I right?"

Zelda, stiff as a plank of wood, jerked her head up and down in the form of a nod. "Yes," she muttered, her throat tight.

"I thought as much. There are only about seven left in the Great Bay Area, aren't there? I know a couple of villagers there, actually." A smile crossed his face, but it wasn't one Zelda remembered. Instead, it felt as though he were a predator who had just cornered his prey with no means of escape.

"Oh?" Zelda gave him what she hoped to be a curious smile. "Really? Who?"

"Ulrira and his wife for starters."

"Oh…" Zelda was at a loss for words. Unsure of what else to say, she decided to keep silent and resume her walking.

Within moments, Link caught up to her. "It's funny though. They often talk about you and your father, Tarin, but they never mentioned that he decided to change his job of gathering things such as mushrooms and honeycombs to a merchant. In fact, last I heard, Tarin and his daughter were taken by Ganondorf's soldiers."

As his words penetrated her, Zelda felt her chest tighten and the atmosphere around her suddenly became like a cage. Vaguely, she remembered Marin mentioning something similar as her father's profession and as the memories came to her, she inwardly cursed herself for not remembering that. Looking at the sun, which was now close to setting, Zelda said, "Link, as much as I would love to continue discussing this topic with you, it's getting late. So if you'll excuse me…"

A firm hand suddenly gripped her right wrist. "Listen, I _know_ that you aren't Marin. I also know that you have been lying to everyone since the moment you got here. What I don't understand is _why_. So, tell me…" His hand tightened, causing pain to travel up Zelda's arm. "Who _are_ you and why are you impersonating her?"

"Link…" Zelda whimpered. "You're hurting my arm…"

Link's grip tightened again and Zelda let out a startled gasp of pain as the force nearly crushed her radius. "Answer me." His voice wasn't loud, yet it was a dark snarl, as if it had come from a dangerous beast.

Zelda turned to face him and saw, to her horror, that he had noticed she wasn't wearing her typical bandages and he was looking down at her bare forearm. Before he could notice anything, Zelda tried yanking her arm free. However, Link's grip was far too strong and, feeling her resistance, he tugged back, forcing Zelda to stumble forward and into his arms.

As Zelda tried to move away, Link forced her right forearm up and whispered in her ear, "What are you hiding?"

"Link! What are you _doing_?!" a young female voice shrieked. Instantly, Link released Zelda and both of them turned to see Beth, Talo, and Malo walking towards them. Using the opportunity, Zelda turned and fled.

"Isn't it obvious?" Talo said as he looked at Beth. "They're wrestling! And Link was winning until you yelled at him, Beth!"

"Yes…" Malo muttered, sarcastic. "Because your opponent running away from you is winning. Obviously."

Link's head snapped back to look where 'Marin' had been just in time to see the door to Uli's house shut. A guttural rumbling ripped from his throat as his eyes narrowed at the now-closed door. '_She got away_.'

"Link?" Talo's voice cut through the angry haze clouding his mind. "Are you okay?"

Link's eyes darted to the three children looking at him with worry, as if he had just realized they were there. Noticing his body had somehow shifted into a half-crouch, he straightened himself before inhaling. As his did, his nostrils flared.

Closing his eyes, he took a moment before answering. "I'm fine… Just…" He paused before continuing. "Just upset I lost."

"Are you sure?" Beth asked her voice suspicious.

"Yeah… Yeah, I'm sure…" Link looked to the sun. Seeing that it was beginning to set, he looked back to three children. "I need to go. It's almost time for me to start patrol. You three, go home."

"But, Link…" Talo protested.

"Go home," Link barked. "_Now_."

Hurt registered in all three sets of eyes. Never had Link been this angry at any of them before. Sure, he would be firm, but never had he gotten so angry. Talo and Malo looked at their feet before trudging back towards their home, while Beth looked as if she might cry before she fled for her house.

As the children left, Link slapped his hand to his forehead. He shouldn't have lost control like that, especially not at them. But right now, there wasn't anything he could do. Sighing to himself, he walked towards the exit of Ordon, preparing for what lay ahead.

…

When Zelda entered Uli's house, she was on the verge of tears as she pressed her back against the door. Never before had she been so frightened in her life, and never by Link. Wrapping her arms around herself in a hug, she sunk down onto the floor, trying to calm herself down.

"Marin?" Uli asked, causing Zelda to look at her. Uli was sitting up in her bed, looking quite worried. In her arms was the newborn, who looked to be sleeping. From the bedside, Colin looked at her, worry in his face.

"Marin?" Uli repeated. "Are you all right? You look as if you've seen a monster."

Zelda nodded, trying to collect her thoughts. "I'm… I'm fine…" Looking at her forearm, she whispered, "Uli? Do you have any more bandages? I can't use mine anymore."

"Oh…" She shook her head. "I'm afraid not. If you need more, you'll have to ask Link or Fado. Both probably have some left over, but if not, you'll have to wait until Link gets more from his trip."

"Trip?" Zelda asked. As far as she had seen, Link had not left the village since she had arrived.

"Yeah…" Colin answered. "Link goes out from Ordon every time we need supplies. He's getting ready to go again soon."

"Oh… I see…"

"Anyways, Marin?" Uli pointed to a basket that Zelda recognized as an Ordonian cradle. "Can you bring that over here?" After Zelda had complied, she whispered, "Thank you." Tenderly, Uli placed her baby in the crib and tucked her in before setting it onto a small table that had been placed next to the bed. She turned to look at Zelda, but Zelda had walked out of the bedroom to lay on the couch.

As she lay on the couch, she looked around, her eyes taking in everything around her as she tried to wrap her head around what had happened with Link. Never before had Link been so… vicious before, especially never with a woman. It frightened her. Closing her eyes, she tried to figure out how Link had become this way.

Rusl had always said to her and Link as children that war changed people. Zelda knew from firsthand experience that that was correct. Gone were the days of Zelda, the adoptive daughter and sister of the Ordonians, Impa and Sheik, naïve to the world and what evils lay outside Ordon. Instead, she was now Princess Zelda of Hyrule, someone who was expected to be controlled and wise, but on the inside, a frightened girl who could trust no one. But it wasn't just her. The fear and darkness had tainted even the kindest people she knew.

She had seen the looks of those in the prison camp, some angry, other fearful, but Rusl had been one change that had surprised her. The teasing smile and eyes lit with promises of lighthearted stories that had often adorned Rusl's face had become a grim line and his eyes had become haunted by tales of bloodbaths and destruction. However, he still was the firm Rusl underneath. But Link…

It made no sense. Though he had been brash and assertive growing up, often making impulsive decisions, Link had always been gentle and kind, especially when dealing with others. As children, Ilia had stolen his horse on multiple occasions, often scolding him over his negligence to the smallest things, but he had never once retaliated with a backhanded retort, instead taking it in silence, although his face often showed how he felt on those occasions. Link also had never backed down from defending those who couldn't defend themselves. When he had visited the Kokiri and found out they were being bullied by a Skull Kid, instead of punishing it, Link befriended it, as if he knew it had just wanted someone to play with.

Even in later years, when he and Sheik somehow changed from being childhood friends to bitter rivals, fighting at every opportunity that presented itself, Link never landed a foul blow or spat a foul word… At least not in front of her or the other women anyways. When Link and Fado had begun apprenticing under Rusl for taking care of the goats, Fado had often lost them, usually having them end up in someone's pumpkin patch, but Link never complained or cruelly teased Fado about the extra work. Rusl had always pushed Link as well, especially in their sword lessons, scolding him when he was being stubborn about something. However, instead of losing his temper and quitting, Link pushed himself until he finally rose to the occasion and proved himself.

Even though he had lost his parents at a young age, Link had never once changed in his demeanor towards others. Until now…

Sure, he'd had his bouts of temper ever now and again and he had also been protective of those he cared for to a fault... But he also had had limits of what he would do, one of those limits being he would never forgo another person's safety unless it was deemed necessary. And yes, she was a stranger, one who had been lying to them from the day she had gotten here, which didn't bode well since Ordon had already been ransacked once, but still…

As she thought more about it, Zelda touched her wrist. It still ached where Link had gripped it. A shudder passed through her as she remembered the cold look Link had given her, calculating and feral, like a beast. That wasn't Link.

Rusl's words echoed in her head. _War changes people. It brings out their truest selves. _Curling up, Zelda tried not to listen. Link's truest self wasn't violent and cruel, was it? He'd never been that way before… had he?

No. Link had been good. If he hadn't, there was no way Zelda would have survived those awful nights in the prison camp where her only comfort was in the memories she had of home and of Link. She knew that. She knew _him_. He would never do anything to hurt her… But yet, he had… And there had been no signs of remorse or care in his face.

That was what frightened her the most.

Tears welled up in her eyes. Always, Zelda had held Link close to her heart, relying on his strength to get her through the tough decisions she had to face. Even when she had been in the prison camp, she still relied on her memories of him, often longing for his boyish grin and kind words to help cheer her up. But now it seemed as if that the Link she had known was exactly that. A memory.

No. He was still there, Zelda knew it. He was still in there, just buried. After all, she had seen his kindness return to him when he was with the children or when he was addressing Uli. He also took what Sera and Pergie said with stride, rather than flying off the handle about the ridiculous rumors that they passed amongst the village. And Ilia… Zelda's heart panged at the thought of their impeding… union… and she shook her head, trying to banish the thought.

It was just her that he seemed to dislike. Was it because she looked so much like a person he thought was dead? Guilt crept into her as she recalled her last conversation with Ilia. Ilia had implied that once he had thought Zelda was dead, he had closed up and become a shell of his former self. _Is that why? Is it really my fault?_ The thought upset her. She didn't want to be the reason he had become like this. As she thought about it, another thing Ilia brought up stuck in her mind. The fact that Link wouldn't talk about her. Another painful thought crept into her mind: Maybe, Link was still in mourning. Could that be it? After all this time?

Maybe it wasn't war, but grief that had changed him. Zelda had seen him grieve before, at age eight, when his mother, Tana, had passed away from illness. But he hadn't acted like this… At least, not to outsiders… Zelda curled up, trying not to think about it. If this was grief, then Link becoming this, a violent and aggressive person, was _her_ fault. Even so, that didn't excuse his actions, but still, she couldn't bring herself to be angry with him.

Even after everything that had happened, she still loved him.

Sighing, Zelda sat up off the couch. What was she doing? She needed to get out of Ordon. If Link had figured her out, then staying could mean much worse troubles headed her way. Standing up, Zelda tiptoed into the other room to find Uli and Colin asleep in Uli's bed while the new baby slept soundly in her crib.

A sad smile crept on her face before she murmured, "Sorry Uli." Turning, she walked towards where her cloak hung, still untouched after all these months. Wrapping it around herself, Zelda felt a bulge in the fabric where a pocket was. She reached in and pulled out the Deku Toad bag that Sheik had given her. Her eyes widened as she suddenly remembered what was in there.

Opening the bag, Zelda pulled out the two letters that Rusl had given to her. Both were in envelopes and as Zelda looked at them, she was pleased to find that the Deku Toad bag had done its job in protecting the letters from water damage as the ink that marked who each letter was for had not run and there were no wrinkles in the paper. Walking over to the table, Zelda placed the letters on the table before pulling up her hood and going outside.

The moon, round and full, sat high in the sky, illuminating everything in pale light. Zelda grimaced, knowing it wouldn't be the best time for her to run, but at least she'd be able to see her way. Walking down the pathway, Zelda noticed that each house's windows were dim, signifying that the villagers were asleep. Zelda hurried her pacing and walked out of the village.

As she walked past Link's house, Zelda stopped and looked at her bare forearm and the scars that blazed red on it. She knew that if she was ever caught with those marks, she'd be taken back to Ganondorf or killed. Though her heart filled with dread at the thought of talking to Link, Zelda walked over to the ladder that led up to his house and began climbing. Once she had reached the top, she knocked on his door.

In response, Link's door creaked open on its own accord, causing Zelda to frown. Link hadn't even closed his door properly… She shook the thought from her mind and decided to look in to see if he was asleep. Poking her head in, Zelda called out, "Link? Are you home?"

No answer.

Zelda took a few tentative steps inside Link's house, looking around. The house was similar to what Zelda remembered, mainly a large room with ledges that held bookshelves and Link and Aryll's once shared bed on the right while on the left stood the entrance to the offshoot that led to Link's basement. Supplies and furniture also sat against their walls in an old familiar way. However, it was very messy as sets of clothing carpeted the floor, things were scattered here and there, and Zelda could tell the room needed to be dusted badly. However, the room was empty, meaning that Link must be on night patrol.

Biting her lip, Zelda weighed the consequences of waiting for Link or taking looking around for some bandages. After a moment, she shook her head. Why was this so difficult? It was simple: Protect herself and Ordon from Ganondorf by stealing some bandages and running away OR stay until she got more bandages and risk getting caught. Assuming Link wouldn't be home until morning and that she didn't run into him in the woods, she would be long gone by the time he got back. It was just that simple!

But… If Link caught her… She shuddered, trying to push away the thought of his behavior earlier. Then again, it was better to have Link angry with her than have Ganondorf find her again. After shaking herself from her fear, she walked into Link's home and started looking for bandages.

It only took a few minutes to find them, hidden in the top shelf of a chest of drawers near the doorway. An almost full roll of bandages sat in amongst some bottles filled with what Zelda could only guess to be medicine. Taking the roll, Zelda began to wrap her forearm with some difficulty. After a few more minutes, she tore the bandages free and managed to tie it together. Looking at it, she grimaced at the sloppy way the bandages hung as if they were going to fall off, but it would have to do for now.

Without another moment to lose, Zelda darted out of Link's house, making sure to close the door behind her, and rushed down the ladder. Pulling her cloak tight around her frame, Zelda moved through the trees with careful steps, sticking close to the shadows so as to not reveal her presence to who or what might be out in the woods.

However, Zelda paused when she passed Ordona Spring, still dead the way it had been when she'd arrived those months ago. Sadness welled inside her, but before she could do anything a snarl caught her attention. Turning, Zelda saw several pairs of glowing yellow eyes watching her, the closest pair set in a large shape that she knew to be a wolf's.

Without further warning, Zelda ran.

* * *

Ending Comments: Yep. I sic'ed the wolves on Zelda. I'm just not kind to her, huh? Oh well. This is a war. And it's not nice. Don't worry, she'll get some good things happen sooner or later. But we're not there yet. Anyways, thank you for review and please leave a review!


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